Shapeshifter
by Parabyte
Summary: A story of a young man who wakes up to discover his hidden ability, his love, and his fear. Chapter 25 is up! Warning! Contains death, fights, non-descriptive nudity, language and cheap comedy. On the bright side, contains romance and food. Possibly changing to Rated M soon.
1. Beginnings

**A/N: A lifestyle I wish I could live. This would be so cool. I actually got this idea, totally unrelated to Pokemon, but I think I can tie it in to the series.**

**I do not own Pokemon, I do own the idea for this story, though. **

This is descriptive filler text. _These are thoughts. _"This is dialog/speech." **This is important OOC (A/N) info.**

**Rated T for some mild language, gross words, and realistic flashbacks.**

**I'm using the name from another one of my stories, but it's not him. Name is Jobe. Please tell me if I should continue this story, or if I'm wasting my time.**

**In third-person POV. Also, if you can, listen to Chris Daughtry's Supernatural. It matches pretty well.**

'The burning. The intense burning. There was no escaping it, it was inevitable. And it hurt so much. It blocked out all other feelings, but pain. Everything but pain. If only it could be blocked out for an entire minute, he might be able to think clearly.

"Eeeaaah!"

Jobe woke from his self-induced coma, only to feel the raging sensation of agony. His mind was so clouded and full of the urgent pain signals, he couldn't even think straight. Looking in front of him, he could see nothing but orange and red flames in front of him. Even though he was in incinerating flames, his clothes didn't burn. He saw no burn marks on his body, yet the pain was there. He glanced around, and through the thick sulfur fumes, he could make out that he was in a glass tube. Trapped inside of a burning building, in a glass tube. No, wait. The fire was burning inside of the glass tube. He was trapped inside a burning glass tube. Jobe started to cough and gag, the oxygen was being used up. He wouldn't be able to take much more of this. Starting to get dizzy, he laid down, and noticed that the flames had started to die down. His life would soon be over.

Just then, a vent opened at the top of the cylinder, and the flames started roaring again. He could tell it was putting oxygen back in the tube, because the dizzy feeling left him. He heard a knock on the glass behind, and he glanced back, startled. Jobe had thought the building was empty, and he was doomed to this for the 3 or 4 days left in his life. A man in a white scientists coat was on the other side, and Jobe yelled at him. "HEY! Help me get out of here! I'm burning alive!"

The man smiled, and turned around, over to a computer system. Funny, he didn't notice that before. The man typed something into the computer, and the flames shrunk down considerably. The man walked over to the tube again, and wrote something on a piece of paper. Then he held it up to the glass so Jobe could read it.

The paper read:

'Do not worry, the flames will not hurt you. In fact, when we have finished this experiment, you will be the greatest living being on the face of the planet. Probably other planets, too. You will remain in this tube for another 3 hours, and the process will be done. Please refrain from speaking until I say so. Also, I hope you have not vomited, urinated, defecated, or sneezed while you were in there, or we may be in trouble. Anyhow, if you would patiently wait for another 174 minutes, I can tell you what I have done.'

After Jobe read this, he shook his head, to give answer to the man's question. Scientist then nodded, and sat in the chair.

Both of them waited until the 3 hours were up, and the scientist even took a nap. Exactly at the 3 hour mark, for Jobe had counted the exact seconds, the flames died. The lack of noise in the room must've woken Mr. Scientist, and he shook his head to wake himself up. He quickly ran over to the computer, and tapped a few keys. Then, he walked over to a drawer, and drew out a hammer. Jobe's eyes widened, and he saw what the man was doing. He smashed the glass of the tube, and Jobe felt several shards pierce his skin. Yet they drew no blood, or pain. _I must still be numb from the fire, _he thought to himself. The scientist rolled out another chair, and urged Jobe to sit in it. The man then got some water from a spigot, handed the glass to Jobe.

"Drink, please. You must be thirsty," the man said.

_Come to think of it, I am really thirsty. I probably couldn't of felt it with that fire blazing..._

After Jobe had downed 6 straight glasses of water, the scientist reached out his hand. "My name is Dr. Wellstep. I know yours is Jobe. Now don't interrupt me, because I am sure you have questions...

"First off, you got here because I had found you, passed out, under a car that had apparently been put on top of you. Someone trying to crush you, probably. Thought I don't know how they lifted the car up... Anyway, you had several broken bones, your leg has been amputated, and you were literally dead. Your heart had stopped beating about an hour before I could bring you here. So, you have actually been dead for about 2 days now, until you had been revived, about 4 hours ago, I suppose. How do you feel about this?"

At first, Jobe was speechless. He then looked down and noticed that half of his left leg was indeed gone. Tears started to well up in his eyes. "I...I'm not sure. I was dead?" he asked him.

Wellstep nodded his head. "Indeed, you were. I wasn't even sure if I could help you, but it worked! Now, let me tell you what these special flames did to you. You won't have much control over it now, if any, but you are now a Shapeshifter."

**How was that for a first chapter? Pokemon will come into place a little later. Also, Jobe's about 17-18 years old. For a little hint on the plot, he 'befriends' a shady character who tries to use his power for evil. Review if I should continue this!**


	2. Flee!

**A/N: Pretty much the same from last time. Oh, except for this one thing: If you think I took this idea from someone else, you're wrong. I thought of this myself, even though others may have too. I claim no rights to it, just the storyline.**

"You are a Shapeshifter. A being who can change his bodily form, into anything he desires. Notice the male gender, because there has been no female Shapeshifter, yet. Also, this is an inheritable trait, so any children you may have, will also be Shapeshifters, albeit male ones," Dr. Wellstep said.

Jobe had to stop and take a breath. He did feel much different, whether it was bad or good he couldn't tell. _A Shapeshifter! Holy crap!_

"But, this may sound indeed awesome, but you cannot take full use of the powers that reside inside your body. In about 3 months time, you should be able. For now, you can practice by trying to repair your leg there."

Jobe looked down at the stump of his leg, and felt kind of stupid just sitting there, concentrating on his leg. He did feel a slight tingle, but nothing changed. Disdainfully, he looked back up at the doc.

Wellstep shook his head. "I didn't think you would be able to-

Suddenly, the other half of Jobe's leg grew out of the end of his thigh, with the foot, toes, and even the hair he had before. It was an exact replica of the calf he had before it was destroyed. Jobe could hardly contain his joy. Tears began brimming his eyes, and this time he let them flow.

"Well, that was unexpected. It seems that you have already, at least in part, mastered this new ability. Absolutely astounding. Now, try... try making your arm 3 feet longer."

Jobe once again concentrated on his arm, and he felt the tingle again, but this time to response was immediate. His right arm now a full 5 ½ feet long, it was heavy and awkward. "Now try shrinking down to normal." Jobe again centered his focus on his arm, this time willing it to shrink, instead of grow. After a tingling sensation, his arm shrunk down to normal size.

"Amazing. Now, don't go overboard on this, but keep practicing with small things, like fingers, ears, or hair. Then we can move onto arms and legs, then your whole body. Oh, and one other thing: do not attempt to expand or shrink the mind. It is irreparable. And you will also be kept here, until those 3 months are up, so I can make sure you don't die from too much radiant fire. Once those 3 months are up, you may go and live your life as normal as you possibly can."

Over the course of the next 3 months, Wellstep had Jobe practice every day, with different exercises, including turning into water, making his body lighter so he could fly, making it so heavy the earth shook with each step, and even making himself invisible. There were some limitations to his power, for example, he was told that mushrooms are his kryptonite, and the problems with inanimate objects. He could become, say a door or a pillow, but to remain alive, a certain part of the object has to have his heart and brain untouched, within the thing. A door would basically have a head somewhere on it, though the size of the head could be changed. Even with these stipulations, Jobe found it fun, hard, and entertaining to go through the training, and when the 3 months was coming to a close, he almost felt sad.

"Do not live here, Jobe. I am done with you. Go and pursue your other interests. Farewell!" And with that, Jobe, bade Dr. Wellstep goodbye. He started walking aimlessly, and then stopped. _Where the heck am I going? I have no idea even where I am..._ Jobe looked around, but saw nothing of interest. _Hey, I got an idea..._

Jobe willed his body to become lighter, and started to rise up into the air. He aimed for the skies, and controlled his weight so he wouldn't fly off into space. After he reached a good altitude, he glided off. Nowhere in particular, just seeing if there was anything good around here. A white house soon came into sight, and he aimed for it.

Reaching his destination, Jobe made his weight back to normal, an average weighing of 148 pounds. He slowly walked up to the door, noting that there were Houndooms, Mightyenas, Bunearys, and Purrlions out in the backyard. A pond over to the right, and behind him a clear, medium-sized front yard. Trees and woods surrounded the house, and a gravel driveway led through the woods, obviously out to the highway. He raised a hand up to knock on the door, and instantly heard a huge Arcanine roar. It took him aback at first, and someone yelled. "Who's there? Don't make me let Dante out on you."

"I'm Jobe, and I'm just looking for a way into a city or town. Can you help me?" he responded.

"Yeah, gimme a second. Kayla, go take Dante into the back. No questions." A woman then opened the door, and Jobe instantly saw how big Dante was. A massive 6 foot tall, the canine growled angrily and barred it's teeth. "Don't worry, Kayla's got him tied good. Kayla then pulled Dante into a room in the back, and shut and locked the door, with an Arceus Lock. "That'll only hold him for about 10 minutes, so let's hurry up. My name is Shannon, and this is my daughter Kayla. And you met Dante." she said, adding a joke at the end. Jobe smiled, and shook hands with both of them. "My name's Jobe. Glad to meet you. Now, uh... how do I get out of here?" he inquired. Shannon smiled. "A better question would be how you got here. Did you come from the north of south? If you came from the north, then go back that way, because apparently you missed the site that was over there, I think it was called.." Shannon kept talking about the camping site, and Jobe found his eyes wandering over to Kayla. She had brown hair, with blue-green eyes and looked to be about 16 or 17. She frowned when he looked her in the eyes, she looked uncomfortable. _Wow, she's good-looking... _Jobe found himself waking back to reality, when Shannon flicked him on the forehead. "Hey! Quit staring at her like that. Kayla, go check on Dante. He's quiet. As for you, let's go out on the porch." Shannon led him onto the porch, and she continued to tell him how to get out of the area. Jobe nodded, as if he was listening, but he kept thinking of that girl. She must've noticed this, because she squinted her eyes at him, and opened the door.

Dante came running out, with a face that looked to kill. At first, Jobe started to run, then he remembered his power. He hesitated for a split-second, unsure of how Shannon and Kayla might react, but Dante had already pounced and was on top of him. Jobe willed his body to change into stone, and it did. Dante got off of Jobe, surprised, and Jobe turned back. Dante's rage was ignited again, and Jobe saw Shannon and Kayla watching him in amazement. Or, was that fear?

Well, that wasn't what Jobe wanted, so he ran up to the porch, Dante still on his heels. He willed to become lighter, and rose into the air. Now eye level with Shannon and Kayla, yet out of the reach of Dante. "Call off your Arcanine, or do something, before he kills me! I still need your help." Shannon just stared at him, floating under no propellant at all. Kayla had ran inside. "Get out of here, you freak! Whatever you are, leave! Or I'll shoot you!" Shannon said, taking a gun that Kayla must've went inside for. Jobe shook his head. "Whoa, whoa whoa. Easy now, I don't want to hurt you. Look, I'm leaving, see?" Jobe slowly flew up higher, before taking a last glance at Kayla, and muttering: "but I'll be back." And Jobe flew off.

**How was dat? More interesting than the last chapter, hopefully. If you haven't noticed, he likes that girl, btw, lol.**

**Please R&R! THIS WILL BE THE LAST CHAPTER UNLESS I GET SOMEBODY SAYING THEY'RE INTERESTED. Thanks!**


	3. Roark

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Same rules and crap and stuff apply. Contains alcohol reference. And don't drink and drive. Also, the name you will see later in this chapter, is not the man you think it is. It's my own character, with the same name. You'll see why later.**

**WARNING: This product may cause gum disease and tooth loss.**

Jobe felt the crisp air stab at his cheeks, and it cooled the sweat that rested on his brow. He had fled from the house about a day ago, after the Arcanine jumped him. That thing was bigger than most Arcanines. At least 7 foot tall. Probably bigger. Though most Arcanines top 6'+, anyway. Jobe had always wanted one when he was younger. They were such majestic creatures, standing tall and proud, against any enemy. He admired that trait that they had, and wished he had it too. But now, he has no reason to fear from anything, because he can always become stronger, bigger and better. Nothing to fear anymore.

Jobe woke up from these thoughts when a Ducklett almost crashed into him. Shaking his head, Jobe noticed a small city, Jobe angled his descent towards it. All the typical things came into view of a city, like the government-run Pokemon Center and Mart hybrids, malls, public restrooms, restaurants and a park. The weather was nice, with a slight breeze to the east. Several people were on their daily grind, walking to and fro different destinations. Walking...

Jobe landed in a dark alley, so he wouldn't attract attention. Even still, someone was bound to see him. He decided to make use of his ability and transform into a person he had seen on TV, Primo.

He soon learned not to turn into famous people, because seemingly endless amounts of people swarmed up to him, asking for autographs and such. He quickly denied them, and was trying to get out of the crowd when he noticed a ghostly figure in a black cloak eying him. The figure raised his arm up, and crooked his finger, in a beckoning motion. Then he walked away. Jobe noted his path, and desperately tried to break from the crowd. When he finally did, he changed back into his regular form, and took the path that Mr. Shadow did. He winded up looking straight at the man, who was about a foot taller than Jobe, making him 7 foot tall. The man had a smell of drugged Sitrusberry juice on his breath, and it made Jobe cringe. Instantly he knew he shouldn't be here. As he turned to leave, the man stopped him, saying, "No harm! Just curious. What are you?"

Jobe stopped, deliberating if he should answer him truthfully or not. "No lie, I can tell." the man said. Jobe thought about just changing into something gruesome, and just kill the man, but decided against it. He didn't even know what the man wanted, so he relayed what had happened to him in the past day.

"What you do now?"

Jobe hadn't thought about that. He was just focusing on getting home- with one problem: he couldn't remember where he lived.

"No shelter? Stay with me. Nice home. Good food." the man wrote something crudely on a piece of paper, then handed it to Jobe. "My name Roark. Room ready, come when you want. But you work. Room not free, room cost work. You work. Bye now." With that, Roark shook Jobe's hand, and left.

Jobe hung around town for a while, even though he had no money to spend, he enjoyed browsing through the stores, looking at their various wares. Soon he ran out of stores, and dug around in his pocket looking for the scrap paper. He read the address, and went all over town looking for it. The street name wasn't even in the city. He started to panic, because that was his only source of lodging for the night. _Let me go ask someone in the Pokemon Center, maybe they'll know._

Jobe went to the nearest Pokemon Center, which wasn't that far. He walked up to the front counter, and the lady there smiled, and asked, "Hello, and welcome to the Pokemon Center. We restore you tired Pokemon to full health. Would you like to rest your Pokemon?"

YES

NO

**(Lol, just had to put that in there)**

"Uh, lady? I just want directions to this here address..." Jobe showed her the address and her face turned dark. "You don't want to go there. Trust me. If you trust me, don't got there. Trust me." the lady said, all her cheer and happiness had disappeared. "Ummm... can you just tell me where it is?" Jobe asked, this woman was starting to creep him out. He didn't want to have to go Charlie Sheen on her, and he was starting to get tired. The lady opened her mouth, but someone else interrupted her. It was a large burly man, and he beckoned for Jobe in a rough voice. "I can tell ye where that dang road be. But, it'll cost ya, say, 500 Poke." Jobe looked astonished, he had no money, period. "I don't have any money. You can't tell me where it is? Seriously?" Jobe was getting frustrated.

"Ya I can. 500 Poke. Or get the heck out!" The man yelled. Jobe smiled, then said calmly. "Then I'll get the heck out."

After Jobe had left the PC, he thought about it a little bit, and decided that he didn't even know the guy who gave him the address. Though it probably would be safe, since he could basically kill any person who threatened him, he still didn't want to take the risk. So Jobe was about to transform into a Flying Pokemon, and go to another town, when he heard a PSST coming from the alley. Jobe turned around, and saw it was the dude who gave him the address, Roark.

"Man, I've been looking all over for you. Where is this place?" Jobe asked. The man looked at him for a second, then shook his head. "Wrong address. Follow." So Jobe did.

Roark had led him to a small shack, thought it was rather nice and luxurious. He led Jobe into the house, and closed the door. "Here's where you can stay," the man said, leading Jobe to a room on the left side. "Thanks. How long do I have to help? I don't want to stay here long." Roark shook his head. "No work. Pay later. I won't forget." Jobe nodded, and headed off to bed. Roark stayed up, cooking some Psyduck eggs.

The smell of the breakfast in the middle of the night tormented Jobe, and sleep was hard getting to him. After a while, Roark must've stopped cooking, because the smell soon faded, and Jobe finally felt relaxed enough to catch a few winks.

Next morning; 6:37 AM

Jobe had gotten a little sleep, though he didn't need much anymore. Roark didn't look like he had even moved; the pan was still sitting on the stove, though the enticing eggs were gone. Roark looked well rested, and wide awake.

"Did you sleep well?" Jobe asked Roark.

"I not tired. I not need sleep. You?" Roark replied. "Ready to go." Jobe said, hoisting a thumbs-up. "What's for breakfast?" he inquired. Roark shook his head. "No food. Must go get some. Be back in an hour." Roark said, and dashed off.

30 minutes passed. Just as Jobe started to feel hungry, Roark came bursting in, with a dead Tranquill in his hands. "Ack! Where'd you get that?" Jobe asked, surprised by the meal of choice. "I kill bird. Bird too slow. Bird die, now we eat bird." Roark said, looking over the Pokemon like an beast. "Ummm... I think I'll go get something from town. I don't think I'll be coming back, what work did you want done?" Jobe asked, anxious to leave. "No work. Bye." Roark said, pushing Jobe outside and slamming the door. Jobe heard snarling, bone cracking, and then a big belch. He could only fathom what just happened, and he shivered at the thought.

Jobe traveled back into town, and went back to the PC. He picked out some candy bars and a Voltorb Energy Drink, and then walked up to the counter. "Hey, listen," he told the front counter person. "I have no money, can I work for this stuff?" The worker thought for a minute, then shrugged. "I don't see why not. You'll have to work for about 2 hours to pay for this crap." Jobe happily accepted, he was starving. He ate the candy and drank only part of the energy drink. After that, he was so full, he still had half the drink left. _Must be from my transformation..._

Jobe worked the whole 2 hours, restocking shelves and helping customers. He bade the worker goodbye, and then walked over to the Unova Map. It showed many of the various cities, and he picked the one that was closest, Nimbasa City. The guide said that they played football, tennis, and various other sports there. He laughed, because his ability would give him a ridiculous advantage over other players. Jobe walked over into a dark alley, and transformed into a Skarmory, then flew off to the north, the direction of Nimbasa City.

**Well, that's it for Chapter 3. Perfect cliffhanger, sort of. Well, the next couple of chapters may make you very mad, if you're a fan of canon charactahs. He also meets the sly and speech deficient Roark again in the next chapter... meh heh heh! Please R&R for Pikachu! Also, Charlie Sheen belongs to its respective owners. Pokemon belongs to its respective owners. **


	4. Revelation

**A/N: All the other crap from last chapter.**

**WARNING: This chapter may be slightly inappropriate for young'uns. 15+**

**RECAP:**

**Jobe finally got to Castelia City, after fleeing from Shannon and Kayla's house. When he got there, he met a shady man named Roark, who offered him shelter and food until the next morning. Jobe accepted, and he spent the night there. Waking up in the morning, greeted by Roark who brought a Tranquill for breakfast, Jobe kindly declined and worked for his food at the Pokemart. He then left Castelia in destination of Nimbasa.**

**Nimbasa City**

Jobe had arrived in Nimbasa City, and was rather surprised at the size of the location. There was the 2 sports domes, the typical PCs and shops, and then there was the Amusement Park. Jobe never did like roller-coasters, yet he does like to fly. _That's weird... _He transformed back into his human form, and decided to explore the large city. Nimbasa had less to offer than Castelia, but you could still spend several days doing recreational activities. Jobe was tired after the long flight, there was a desert in between the two towns, and that certainly didn't help. He decided to check in to a hotel, and rest for the remainder of the day. The nearest one was called The Karrablast Inn. It looked worse than a gas station bathroom, with wild Joltiks scurrying all about. Jobe even thought he saw a giant Ariados, but he hoped his eyes were fooling him.

The nearest clean hotel was named The Persian Auberge. In comparison of the two, The Auberge looked like Taj Mahal. He expectedly decided to stay there.

Then it hit Jobe. He still had no money. There wasn't any way he could work for the room, that would defeat the purpose. He didn't have anything to sell, nothing to trade. He sat down on a car so he could think. _Maybe...maybe I can sell my power... I could display my ability for a price. But, cops would probably try to arrest me, or someone would attempt to even kill me..._

Jobe woke from his thoughts as he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, only to meet a young girl, about his age, greet him with a smile. "Pardon me, but is there any particular reason you're sitting on the hood of my car? Trying to be cool, tough guy?" she said. Then Jobe recognized her. She was the daughter of Shannon, at the house where the Arcanine attacked him. Instantly he blushed, and apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't know this was yours, Kayla." She seemed taken aback, from this stranger knowing her name. She put her hand on her belt, probably groping for a Poke Ball. "H-how do you kn-know my name?" she said, shaking a little bit. Jobe tried not to be nervous or stutter, but it sure was darn hard. "I-I'm Jobe. Remember me? The guy who your mom chased off with that Arcanine?" Kayla must've remembered, because she only got more uneasy. "Ummm, yeah, I remember you. You're kind of hard to forget," she said. Jobe smiled, thinking of another meaning to that. "Yeah, I just left from Castelia, and was looking for a place to stay. I found this mansion, the Auberge. But it's probably really expensive, and I have zilch money. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go sell myself- I mean, me. No! I mean, some part of me. Dhhh! I mean, I'm going to sell something of mine, whatever I have left." Jobe had blown his cool then, and completely misinterpreted the meaning of his saying. Kayla looked shocked at first, then after Jobe had explained, she giggled. "That was... weird. Anyway, I could lend you some money for now, if you want me to. Go find out how much the room will be, then I'll give it to you. Just don't come back to my house." She said. Jobe nodded, then headed towards the hotel. He entered, and walked up to the front counter. He asked the lady how much a room for one night would be, and he was astonished at the amount of Poke it would cost. He knew Kayla couldn't have that much on her, much less for a couple of nights. He went back out, and told her how much it would cost.

"45000 Poke! That's insane!" She screamed. Jobe almost hoped that the counter person could hear, and maybe lower the price. It didn't happen.

"I'm sorry, Jobe. As much as I-"

She seemed to stick on her words for a second, then continued.

"As much as I want to help, I can't afford that. Not with gasoline being 2000 Poke a gallon. I hope you can find something else. I would offer you to stay at my house, but I think my mom will blow a hole in your gut if I brought you back. I'm sorry, Jobe. See you later, I guess." She said. Kayla got into her car and left, leaving Jobe alone in the exhaust fumes.

He had nothing to lose then. Nothing on his back. His clothes were actually starting to rip, they wouldn't last much longer. He had to find a way to make some money. But how? There was virtually no legal way to make that much that fast, even enough for a night at The Karrablast. And Jobe didn't want to get into legal trouble. Jobe had to slept in the street that night. It wasn't hard, considering it got really quiet that night. Too quiet.

In his sub-conscious, he could hear something rustling in the woods. He denounced it as a Patrat or something similar, but it kept coming closer and getting louder. After a while, it sounded like it was right on top of him, then it suddenly stopped. Jobe got up to see what the whole deal was, when he came face to face with Roark. Jobe relaxed when he saw it was him. Roark blinked for a minute, then ripped off his jacket. Jobe had never seen him without his jacket, and now realized why he had one in the first place.

It turns out Roark has sharp, shiny claws, and sharp shiny teeth. He also has a flowing red mane coming from the back of his head. Roark was also a dark color, not quite black, but darker that gray. Jobe felt fear in his stomach, when he figured it out:

Roark wasn't human. He was a Zoroark in disguise.

**DUN DUN DUNN!**

**I had to leave it here. Way too interesting to keep going. XD**

**Well, since this chapter is early but about 2 weeks, it'll probably be till the first part of June that I update again. Until that time comes, I want you to answer a poll for me. Check it out on my profile.**


	5. Murderer!

_**A/N: Nothing has changed, unless Chuck Norris said it did. And he didn't, or we'd be dead.**_

**Oh, for those reviews:**

**Infinity, it may be that he is like Mew, but I don't watch movies/anime, so I wouldn't of known. And, I need an idea for a weakness. Something good, not Styrofoam or bedsheets or something crappy like that. Something sort of like a force field, but what would it be emanating from, not anything that would weaken him Something that he can't go near or he passes out... (This is where y'all come in! )**

**WARNING: **The cake is a lie, the cake is a lie, the cake is a lie, the cake is a lie, the cake is a lie...

**Ages 16+. Nothing too slimy, but it does imply that.**** ;-)**

_**RECAP:**_

**Jobe had arrived in Nimbasa, and was searching around for a place to stay. He met Kayla again, but she couldn't help him. He slept out in the street, and in the middle of the night, Roark approached him and revealed his true form: a Zoroark.**

_Whoa..._

Jobe thought to himself, looking at the strange creature. It was only about 4 foot tall, but it looked like it could kill anything. Well-endowed with razor-sharp fangs, claws, and talons, ZoRoark flashed Jobe a toothy grin, then turned around and fled into the woods. He moved so fast, Jobe didn't even know he was gone until he heard the rustle. He thought about following him, but it would take too long, and ZoRoark was long gone. Jobe laid back down, and got what sleep he could.

The next morning, Jobe woke up to a Pidove sitting on his face. "What the?" he said, swatting the bird off of him. The Pidove chirped loudly, then flew off. Jobe rubbed his eyes, removing the dried mucus that had collected during his slumber. He never really knew how that stuff even got there, but he was always to lazy to figure it out by asking someone smart. Not that he really cared, anyway. He got up and glanced at his surroundings. Same as it was when he went to sleep, thankfully. Once again, he was reminded he had no money when his stomach growled. He hadn't eaten a full meal since... He couldn't remember when he last had a full meal. It had to of been before the accident, and he had virtually no memory of anything happening before it. Jobe had to get a job.

Though he detested it, he walked into the Pokemon Center/Poke Mart, and asked the dude working at the counter for a job application.

"Hmmm... no thanks." the man said, then turned back to restocking the shelves.

"Umm, what? You just turned me down, and I haven't even filled out the application yet?" Jobe started to fume.

"Look here, I can just take a look at ya and tell ya you're a bum. Bums don't get jobs, they sit out in the street and beg. Now go beg." The man firmly said.

Jobe said nothing more, he just walked outside, and stood on the sidewalk. He felt the anger and energy course through him, and he clenched his fist and struck the concrete walkpath. The second he threw the punch, he knew he made a mistake. Punching the ground at that speed, with that amount of force, would shatter his hand, and possibly break his arm, too. As he felt his knuckles strike pavement, he closed his eyes.

Then it was over.

Jobe opened his eyes, and didn't see anything wrong with his hand at all. It didn't even hurt. Looking down, he saw that he had left a deep recession in the concrete, at least a 4" depth. Shocked, he hoped nobody saw him, though somebody probably did. He took off, running towards the Dual Domes.

Jobe started to nonchalantly whistle, though in the movies, it always meant somebody was up to something. He hung around for a bit, then left the sports arena. Everything there was mostly boring to him anyway, because Jobe could always outrun, outthrow, outkick, outshoot and outdive any ordinary man. He would have no competition, except for maybe the football star Manning Peyton.

Jobe then walked over to the Region map, and thought about where he was going next. Distracted by the atlas, Jobe didn't hear four police officers come up behind him. The cops yelled, "Hands behind your head, and no funny business!" Jobe was startled, he turned around to see who it was. The man he saw first pointed a M4 carbine at Jobe's face, and he turned back around, with his hands up. Another cop stepped closer to put handcuffs on Jobe, but then he stopped when he heard a voice.

"Stop! Don't arrest him!"

It was Kayla. She was running up to Jobe, yelling. "Don't get near him, ma'am, he's a menace to society." A cop said to her. "No he's not! He's just confused. Why are you even arresting him? He hasn't done anything wrong." She argued. Jobe was wondering why she would be fighting for him, but he knew if he said anything, there was nothing stopping them from opening fire. The thought stayed in his head, but he could probably survive several gunshots, if they shot a non-essential area. Because he could always repair it.

"Look, ma'am, if you continue this argument you are going to be arrested for defending a criminal." The policeman threatened. Kayla stood there for a second, then held out her arms. "Fine. Take me with you." Jobe couldn't believe he had just heard that. She glanced at him, as the other two cops told him his rights and the reason for arresting him: For being a danger to society. Apparently someone had reported a sighting of him changing from a Skarmory to himself, and they finally got around to taking care of the problem. They put handcuffs on him, and led Jobe and Kayla to the car, then stuffed them inside. There was another man in the car, sitting next to Jobe. Obviously he was arrested too, and he looked none the friendly. He then decided to bite Jobe's ear, and almost rip it off. Jobe yelped in pain, then glared at the man so hard, he laughed. "You little punk. Wait till I get these cuffs off, then you and your girlie-friend will get it. What'cha gonna do, kid? Huh?" Kayla put her two cents in, by saying, "I am NOT his girlie-friend!" The second she said that, Jobe felt hurt. Then he felt anger, because the man kept taunting Jobe, until he couldn't stand it anymore. He willed his hands to melt, to allow the cuffs to fall off, then grabbed the man's neck, and started squeezing. "Call me kid, eh? How's this for a kid?" Jobe said. The man's eyes were almost bulging, and the cop heard the commotion. He shot a tranquilizer dart in Jobe's back, and Jobe suddenly felt sleepy. His grip on the man's neck loosened, but the damage was done. Kayla's eyes widened, both for the deceased criminal and Jobe, right as he fell into the land of unconsciousness.

Jobe woke up in a bunk bed, obviously in a prison cell. His back felt numb, his head was still in a daze, and he still felt kinda sleepy. Jobe looked around at his surroundings, but didn't really find anything of interest. It was what he heard that was interesting. He heard breathing. Not his own, someone was above him. Jobe quietly got of his bed, and peered up to see who was in it.

It was Kayla.

Instantly he felt sour, because his inaction to anything illegal, and the cops' misconception of it, had put her in jail, where she didn't deserve to be. He had a quick thought of blasting through the ceiling, and bringing her to safety, but he would probably just be shot down again. He climbed down the ladder, and hopped back in his bed, falling to sleep again.

When Jobe woke up again, it was to a tapping on his shoulder. He jumped out of bed, expecting another assault from policemen, but it was just her waking him up. She put a finger to her lips, and sat down on the bed, next to Jobe. She then leaned over and whispered in his ear, "You are so dead. If my mom had heard of this, she would personally kill you. Not exaggerating. Luckily, she knew I was going to be in town for a few days, but I can't stay in here for more than a week. And, what's worse, for you, they said you would be convicted of murder for that man in the car. You have got to be ridiculously strong to kill him like that. He didn't die of suffocation, he died from his neck breaking, plus his destroyed throat. He was beyond dead. But, how did you get out of the handcuffs?" She asked him. Jobe thought about how he should answer this, and he chose the honest one. "Well, you know how I can do all these spectacular things, like transforming and flying, well, I just melted my hands, and the handcuffs fell. Then I... killed him. I killed him..." Jobe then started to realize what he had done. Tears began flowing from his eyes. Kayla wiped one off with her finger."Don't dwell on it like this. You'll never get over it if you do this. Now, I'm not one for breaking the law, but you have got to get out of here. Oh, and take me with you. I'm not sure how you can do this, though..." She said, reassuring him with a quick hug. Jobe instantly felt better, and he took a deep breath. "I wish Dr. Wellstep was here. I could ask him if I could somehow transfer my powers, but I wouldn't know how..." Jobe said, pacing the room, trying to devise a plan of escape. Kayla bit her lip, she was trying to think too.

Eventually, Jobe got tired of pacing, so he sat back on the bed. Then he got an idea. "Kayla, where are we?" he asked her. "Umm, in Nimbasa High Security Prison, why? I thought you would've known that by now." Jobe nodded. "And, how many floors do they have here?" Kayla started to catch on. "Two, we're on the bottom." Jobe smiled. "High security, eh? I bet they can't catch a fly. Here's the plan," Jobe started, then lowered his voice to a whisper. "I'm going to change into a fly. I'll find a crack in the walls, or floor, or something, then I'm going to exit the prison. I'll go somewhere where no one can see me, transform into your mom, then say I'm coming to get you. You're not on bond, right? You're just being kept here till she gets you." Kayla nodded to confirm. "Good, cause I don't have any money. I'll get you out, then head back into town, you go home, and I'll go somewhere so far away, they can't catch me. Now I need you to cover for me while I'm gone, like put pillows in the bed, eat my food if I'm gone that long, that kind of stuff. And we can get the heck out of here."

Jobe waited until night, then enacted his plan. Willing his form to change into a fly, he flew around the room until he got used to it, then searched for a crack in the wall. When he finally found one, he flew through it, and flew down every single hall until he found a window leading out into the night.

He navigated back to the front door, and changed into Shannon when no one was looking. Luckily he would have her voice, or it wouldn't work. She walked into the lobby, and told the front-counter person that she was picking up Kayla. The guy working handed her a form to fill out, and this troubled Jobe, because he had absolutely no idea what her SS number was, driver's license number, even her full name. She dug around in Shannon's purse for something with that information on it, and he found her license, which didn't have her SS number on it. He finished filling the form out, and handed it back to the guy. He looked over it for a second, then threw it away. Shannon thought this was useless, but it didn't matter. He led her to Kayla's and Jobe's cell, and brought another cop over with a gun. He then cautiously opened the gate, and beckoned Kayla to get out. Kayla smiled at Shannon, then hugged her. She whispered in Shannon's ear, "You're good." Shannon smiled, then left with Kayla right behind. As they passed the other cells, filthy men glared at them with lust, obviously they hadn't seen women in a looooong time. Neither of the girls paid them any attention.

Once they were in town, Shannon looked around, then changed back into Jobe. Kayla squealed with delight, and hugged him tightly. "Thanks a whole lot, Jobe. Now, since you're a wanted felon now, once they realize you're not in the cell, people will be on the watch. You'll have to change your look, plus your name. It's too unique. Make it something like... Lee. Your name is now Lee...what's your last name?" Jobe thought for a second, then shrugged. "You don't know what your last name is? Oh yeah, you have amnesia. Okay, your name changed from Jobe to Lee Shift, for Shapeshifter." Jobe like the name Lee, but he stilled liked Jobe better. "I don't know... I don't think I could live like that. I'll keep my name, but my look does have to change." He replied. "Okay, I'll get a hotel room, and tomorrow we can go shopping. C'mon, it's getting cold out here. Let's get in my car." Jobe followed her, though he didn't know how she could afford it, unless she had gotten more money.

They had arrived at the hotel, and the couple went inside to check in. As Kayla got the room, the receptionist was looking slyly at Jobe. It made him uneasy, because he knew what she was thinking. Kayla turned around. "What's the matter? You look like you could throw up." she asked, headed for the elevator. "Yeah, you're probably right..."

In the hotel room, Kayla already had her stuff in the room. It must've been where she was staying for the week, because everything was where it was supposed to be. Very neatly, too.

"Well, you're lucky we have two beds, or you'd have to sleep on the floor. Just set my laptop and stuff on the other chair, and make yourself comfortable." she said, heading towards the bathroom to change. Problem was, Jobe couldn't. He was so close to his crush, and it was driving him crazy how open she was being. Even though he didn't want to get crazy, Jobe knew he very well could if he didn't control himself. He took a breath, then exhaled. It helped to clear his mind, and relaxed him a bit. All he really had to do was keep his cool, and act calm and collected. He heard the door unlock, and she stepped out in her pajamas.

All of the relaxation and calmness he had just went out the window. She was wearing rather short shorts and a low-cut tank top, with revealed decent exposure. She hopped onto her bed, but that wasn't the only thing bouncing. Jobe started to sweat a little, and he tried to keep his eyes focused on the TV, but it was sure as heck hard. His breathing was irregular, and to remedy this he tried inhaling deeply then exhaling again. Eventually, it worked, and he felt relaxed and calm around her again. He then started to think about where he was headed next, because he couldn't stay in Nimbasa much longer. He would have to go to a rural area, because cops were swarming in the established areas. A place that he had seen on the map before he got taken away was Undella Town, it looked relatively secluded and would probably be a perfect place to flee to. His thoughts was interrupted when Kayla jumped on the bed. Jobe was so startled that he fell off. Kayla started laughing, and so did Jobe. "Now what was that for?" he said. Kayla shrugged. "What'cha thinking about?" she asked him. "Well, I was wondering about where to go next." He replied, striving to look her in the eye. "What did you have in mind? Somewhere far from here, I hope." she said. Jobe thought for a second, in case that had a deeper meaning. He didn't think it did, but it might of. "I noticed a place called Undella Town, which looked pretty nice and remote. Have you been there?" he asked her. She shook her head. "I wish, that beach is like the most romantic place in Unova. It is virtually every girl's dream to go there. My mom met my dad there, and I think you know where that went." She said, smiling. Jobe nodded, then smiled back. "That might be the next place I go." he said.

There was an awkward silence then, she was still sitting on his bed, and Jobe enjoyed it. It was nearly 3 AM, but sleep didn't come to either one of them. They were watching some show on TV about fish, and it was rather boring.

"So, when are you leaving?" Kayla suddenly asked, breaking that seemingly endless dead air moment. "Umm, probably tomorrow night or the next morning. Cause we have to change my look first, remember?" Jobe said. "Oh yeah, I forgot. How're you going to get up there, transformation again?" she asked. Jobe nodded. "Yeah, I'll have to. No money for a train or a bus. But, I might backtrack and find Dr. Wellstep to ask him a few more questions. He lives somewhere near you, I think." Kayla nodded. "Well, I'm going to run home tomorrow, after we fix you up, you can ride with me then I can drop you off before we get there. But you're taking off after that, right?" she asked. "Uh, yeah, probably." he replied. She nodded in return, then yawned. "Well, I'm going to get some sleep. See ya in the morning." she said, getting under the covers. "Umm, Kayla? This is my bed." He said, but she was already asleep. He shrugged, and jumped into the other bed, after turning the TV and the lights off.

**Snot, this was my longest chapter by far. At least a solid 3000 words. Well, I have one request: Do you think**** Kayla ****should like him, or reject him? Cause he'll probably meet with some other chicks in Undella, if he makes it...**

**Expect another update later this month. **


	6. Departures

_**A/N: Got this one done quick. I got an idea for this chapter, that's why it's here so early. I am so inspired right now, I can't type fast enough to write what I'm plotting... Next one'll be done quick too.**_

**Infinity, I think I will, considering this chapter is mostly about that. Next one is going to be... shocking.**

**Apocalypse, that's a good point. **

**Oh, BTW, the reason I'm asking for a weakness is because mushrooms (see ch. 2) aren't really his weakness. And, this part from the previous chapter:**** -**_"Well, I was wondering about where to go next." He replied, striving to look her in the eye. "What did you have in mind? Somewhere far from here, I hope."_- **h****as a very deep meaning, though he didn't think it did. See if you can guess. It will be revealed in the next chapter. **

**WARNING: **No warnings, except for this one:

**CHECK 0UT MEH F0RUM!**

**Ages 14+**

_**RECAP:**_

**After Jobe had stayed the night in the street, he went to go look for a job. He got turned down, and discovered some of his true strength through his anger and frustration. Jobe then checked the region map, and got arrested, along with Kayla. Jobe killed a fellow to-be-inmate, and is now a wanted felon. Both of them hatched a plan and escaped, and spent the night in a hotel room. **

**Nimbasa City, 6:23 AM**

Jobe was having mixed dreams, most of them about Kayla. Some were of ZoRoark and the encounter he had with him the night before, and those weren't very pleasant. But, the dreams kept changing, between his love and his bête noire. He would have something like a blood fight with ZoRoark, then he would be in a romantic setting with her. The confusion between the two, caused a dream of his worst nightmare: Kayla's blood in his hands.

"GAAH!"

Jobe sat straight up in bed, his chest heaving. The images were still in his mind, and he tried not to think about it. It would be hard, because something like this, no matter how hard you wanted to forget it, you couldn't. Yet you could forget important things like dates, faces, names, and the like. The thought remained in his head, so he got out of bed, quietly, and fixed a glass of water. As he was drinking it, he noticed something: Kayla was sleeping in his bed. Not the one he was supposed to be sleeping in, the one that was originally hers. He almost choked when he realized this. How he had gotten out of bed without recognizing this, he didn't know. Of course, nothing had happened last night, partly because he didn't even know she was there. The beds weren't even that big; just a double sized. Enough room for two kids maybe, but not adults. The thought of being so close to her warmed him, and made him forget the nasty dreams he had had.

He watched her sleep as he downed the rest the of the water. Tiptoeing, he slid into the other bed, to rest for the remainder of the morning. He checked the clock; it read 7:10. He guessed he would have about and hour or so to sleep, but Jobe wasn't tired. He laid under the covers until 8 o' clock, still watching Kayla sleep. He had nothing else to do until she woke up anyway, and he enjoyed her quasi-presence.

Right at 8, the clock's alarm kicked in, and Kayla stirred. Jobe quickly closed his eyes, trying to pretend he was still asleep. She got up and turned the alarm off, and Jobe knew she had turned to check on him. He struggled to keep a straight face, but it was dang hard. He kept it good for a minute, then he cracked. Jobe burst out laughing. Kayla stepped back, then realized he wasn't asleep at all. She then joined in the cachinnation, then they steadily calmed down. After their breathing was back to normal, Kayla sat down on the bed opposite to him. She was thinking about how he, or rather herself, had switched beds throughout the night.

"So, uh... how long have you been awake?" she asked, trying to touch on the subject. "Not too long, about an hour or so." He replied. "What were you doing that whole hour? Trying to trick me into thinking you were still asleep?" she asked. Jobe shook his head. "Nah, that was a split-second decision. I was, um, you know, just... laying here, reading this book, called uhh..." He said, opening the bedside drawer and pulling out the phone book. "The uh, Nimbasa and Castelia Duo-Cities." Jobe then regretted even considering lying. "Mmmhhm. Where'd you go, what'd you do, and when? You're lying, Jobe. Your cheeks are turning FireRed. Tell me the truth." She said, sternly. "Meh. Fine. I was... I was... looking... at... you..." he said, his voice trailing off. "What was that? Couldn't hear ya. Must be the loud air conditioner in here." She said sarcastically. The A/C wasn't even running. Jobe clenched his teeth, then blurted out, "I was looking at you!" Jobe pulled the covers over his head, and rolled into a ball. He almost cried. Jobe didn't want it to sound that way, so up-front. He wanted it to appear to her gradually, but now he had no choice. He heard her get up, only to sit back down next to him. She started to rub his back. "There's nothing wrong with that. It's natural. I can somewhat understand why you feel like that, but why..." she said, not finishing her sentence. Jobe didn't push her to finish, but he would almost die just to hear what she was going to say. "Look, just forget it. Let me get dressed, then we can go get some of that disgusting continental breakfast they always serve, then we can go shopping."

Jobe felt better after she said that. Much better. Kayla got up and dug around her suitcase for some clothes, then went into the bathroom. Only then did Jobe feel like removing the blankets from his head. Good thing, too, because it was starting to get hot under there. As he waited for her to get out, he made a pledge to himself: He would treat her as a mere friend from now on. Though it killed him, he had to get his life straight first. His plan was to go shopping, then ride with her to her house, but before he got there, leave to find Dr. Wellstep. Then he would go to Undella Town, make a new name for himself, and establish a business. Make enough money to support himself and a family, then he would go after her. And that could take several years. Jobe didn't know if he could wait that long, she might find somebody else by the time he was ready. But, he still had some time to mull it over before he was leaving for sure.

After Kayla got out of the bathroom, they left the room and headed down to the lobby for breakfast. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it would suffice. Rather stale bagels with Grepa Berry jam along with a bowl of Cornn Flakes. After the two had finished, they got into Kayla's car and drove to the local mall.

**(A/N: Note that I am not going to write about the adventures of the mall, there was nothing interesting. Just know that Jobe kept control of himself, nothing really happened except for them buying clothes. Actually, she bought more clothes than he did. The only thing he did get was a prepaid cell phone. That will be important later. And yes, I am a guy, and I detest shopping. This is why.)**

"Hey Kayla? Are we done yet?" Jobe said, starting to get impatient. 9 hours of straight shopping really wears on you. "Okay, okay. I'm coming, I'm coming." she said, carrying sixteen bags of clothes and other variousproducts she had purchased. Jobe was holding the other thirty. They walked to her car, which just so happened to be on the other side of the street. "Oh crap. Why did you have to park so far away?" he said, trying to hide his disgust. He wasn't do so well. "Because, my mom doesn't like me parking that close to, y'know, common people. She thinks they'll smash the doors in or something. C'mon, it's only like 3 blocks or so away." she said. "Easy for you to say! You're not carrying three-thousand bags though! You've only got sixteen!" he replied. "'Easy for you to say!'" she said, in a mocking tone. "I'm nowhere near as strong as you, not to mention it's only THIRTY bags, you goof." Jobe rolled his eyes.

About half and hour later, Jobe wound up at the car with forty-five bags in his arms. He shoved them all into the trunk, and shut it. Kayla open the rear doors and placed her one bag in the back seat. "How did I end up with all of them?" he said, flinging his sore arms up in the air. "No. I carried one." she said, as-a-matter-of-factly. Jobe once again rolled his eyes, and got in the car.

It was about a forty-five minute from Nimbasa to her house. Jobe was watching out the window, glancing at the trees and houses fly by. If he stared at them too long, he would get a headache, so he kept changing his view from that, to her. Luckily, he had gotten some sunglasses, so he could see her out of the corner of his eye, without her knowing. He studied her features, the way her hair curled out from her ears, the way her nose was slightly crooked up, the way her lips pursed, and her eyes- those eyes. They were light-blue, so mesmerizing when you stared into them, you could get lost in them. There was so many things about her he liked, it was a wonder how he could keep his cool around her for this long.

After she neared her house, she pulled over to the side of the road, and they both got out. "Well, Jobe, it looks like this will be goodbye. For now, at least. I've got your number, you've got mine, though you've only got limited minutes, you can refill it when you find work. I guess I'll see you later." she said, holding out her hand. Jobe felt his eyes water, and instead of shaking her hand, he took her in a warm embrace, AKA, a hug. She didn't struggle or seem creeped out by it, but he didn't want to push her. He released her from it, and she smiled. Jobe smiled back, and watched as she got into her car. He waved bye one last time, then willed his body to change into a Skarmory. He then prepared to fly off, just as she was starting the car. Kayla watched him take off towards the south, and said to herself, "I'll never meet anyone like him again..."

**This is quite possibly my favorite chapter so far. I am actually considering rewriting the first and part of the second, now that I have more of an established character. **

**In this chapter, I tried to make them closer, but make Jobe almost hate himself for doing it. He's trying not to get but so close so soon, but he knows the official are after him and time is somewhat limited before he's got to hit the road.**

**Don't expect a date for the next update... It could be anytime.**


	7. Ouch

_**A/N: Meh. I'm getting tired of these. I probably don't have to say this, but I don't own Pokemon. If I did, why would I be here?**_

**WARNING: **The following preview is approved for all ages, above the age of 15.

**I finally think I found his weakness, and it isn't an orb or anything like that. See if you can notice it.**

**Ages 15+. Contains a small innuendo.**

_**RECAP:**_

**When Jobe woken up early, he spent the morning laying in bed, watching Kayla sleep. After she woke up, he got caught feigning sleep, and she demanded to know what he had been doing. He hesitantly revealed to her that he was watching her, but she didn't take it too personal. They went shopping, she ended up buying more clothes than him. Kayla drove home, with Jobe a passenger. She dropped him off shortly before arriving, bidding him farewell.**

Jobe, in his Skarmory form, looked behind him. He didn't see Kayla's car anymore. She had drove up another 300 feet, and pulled into her driveway. It saddened him that he had to leave her so soon, but he knew he must, or he would have no chance of seeing her ever again. Now, he was a wanted man. He would have to get life straight somehow, and he chose to start by talking to Dr. Wellstep again.

Problem was, Jobe had no idea where the Doc lived, or where the laboratory was. It should be easy to find a huge building like that, but it wasn't. Jobe was flying high above where it should be, yet it wasn't. All that was there was...

Jobe quickly flew down to the site. A smoldering pile of ashes was all that was left. A few wooden beams were still standing, some broken glass, and an untouched cabinet was all that remained. Jobe looked at the cabinet for a second, and recognizing that there must be some significant reason why it was still standing, he walked over to it, and cautiously opened the door. The door fell off, the hinges had been melted clean off. Inside of the cabinet, there were some beakers filled with various fluids marked by a code; though to Jobe, it was undecipherable. Also with the beakers, a few notebooks that Dr. Wellstep had apparently kept his records in; a hard hat; and a small, hardback book that said 'My Successions and Failures'. Jobe picked the book up, and started to read it.

_As we age, us humans strive to achieve things. For some, it is power, position, and/or money. But leave those various wants and desires to whom they belong, whereas for me, I have mine own pleasure in the heterogeneous scientific matters of the world. This document contains all of the apparatus' that I have consummated, and also, the commodities that I have not surmounted; those of which I will strive until my death to accomplish. These are therefore written for my referential purposes only, and not to be shared with public likenesses._

Jobe marveled at how he had written in this book, it was hard to understand with all of the differing words, yet he knew exactly what Wellstep meant. He flipped through the pages a little until he found something interesting.

_One of mine own colossal faux pas was when I declined to myself about telling my own son about his true coming to be, though I couldn't at the time. And I also feel that I will not be able to, either. He is gone now, probably never to be seen again in my lifetime. However, he is not without aid; rest assured, I have dispatched several assistants within various regions of the bailiwick of Unova, one in Castelia, one in my old laboratory, the P2 Lab, along with two in Driftveil City, and finally one in the quiet Undella Town. I hope that he may feel a mutual connection with these beings as I did, and he may make the required action to accommodate with them. Sadly enough, I wish that I had introduced them to him, so he may recognize them in the future, but time restraints were among us, and he departed before I could confront him._

After Jobe read this, he stopped. Something sounded familiar about this. He read it again. But, nothing struck him as unusual other than and old man writing in a journal. He flipped a couple pages over into the Successions section. The first entry read:

_In light of the preceding failures, I have, indeed, performed numerous achievements in my rather long life. One of the most notable was a fusion between two living creatures. True, I have been able to morph two inanimate objects, such as a Custap and a Watmel Berry, but live beings are quite more complex. In fact, the two must be relatively the same; you cannot combine a Dunsparce with a human. Now, a Lucario and a human would work, as they are both bipedal creatures. Some differences would occur, such as the tail, if applicable, gender differences, and reproductive organs would be erroneous if the proper manual genetic mutation is not applied. This is why the system is not yet complete. A scientist must be present at all times, in case something should go wrong, the process can be reversed per a certain point. Once this point has been passed, however, and it varies between species, the change is irreversible. If this is the case and the experiment is botched, then the being will need to be killed in order to prevent further mutations from it being released in the wild. For instance, I actually succeeded in taking a Zoroark's special ability, and copying it into a human. The Zoroark came out of it's coma just fine, but with the human, there were some difficulties. The human had amnesia, however, this could've been because I found the boy dead, and I had to restart his mind, and thus the chance of amnesia was very possible. Evidently, it happened, though, I tried to refresh his mind with basic arithmetic and grammar, yet it was nowhere near the scholarship he would get in an ordinary school. Yet, if he doesn't keep his powers a well-protected secret, he will stand the good chance of being sought after, and not necessarily for the right reasons. He would be an outcast, and outlaw, and potentially even a threat to society._

Jobe dropped the book. He realized who Dr. Wellstep was writing about: him.

His body must've been fused with a Zoroark's, which explains his ability to change forms. But, the difference between Jobe and an ordinary Zoroark, was that the changed form was permanent, to an extent. With a Zoroark, it was just an illusion; after the Zoroark got too distracted or dropped the mask, it was gone. Jobe could keep the form for as long as he wanted, without the need for concentration. It was probably explained in the book, but he had no further want to read it today. He picked the book up, along with a couple of the smaller notebooks, and began running back to Nimbasa City. He couldn't fly there, his wings wouldn't be able to carry the books and fly at the same time. It wasn't that far to Nimbasa anyway, but it was a nice little trek.

About fifteen minutes into the trip, he passed Kayla's house, potentially for the last time. He stopped in front of it for a moment, to try to take in as much as he could.

_SLAM!_

Jobe heard the front door open and shut, and Kayla came running out. Jobe's eyes brightened, and he couldn't help but smile when he saw her. She must've seen him too, because she beckoned him to come over to her car. Jobe stopped, and scoped the place out for Dante or its owner, Shannon. Cautiously, he stepped forward, and Kayla giggled when she noticed him. "Don't worry, she's not going to stab you. Neither will Dante." she assured him. Jobe calmed down, and finished the walk to her car. "So, uh, what'd you want?" he asked her.

"Well, I was hoping you would come back this way without me trying to track you down. Did you find Dr. Wellstep?" she asked. Jobe shook his head. Jobe thought he knew what happened to him, but he didn't want to embrace it yet. "Listen, I, uh... had a talk with my mom and dad, and they said that I should help you out and give you a ride to Undella Town, if that's okay with you?" she said/asked. Jobe didn't know what kind of 'talk' she had with her parents, but he could tell her offer was sincere. "Well, that's real nice, but can I just show you something first?" he said, pulling out the book, and flipping to the page he had bookmarked. She took a minute to read, then she bit her lip.

"Are you sure this is you?" she asked, almost not believing what she had read. "Pretty sure. I couldn't think of anyone else who would have the exact same side-effects as me, and that he would of killed them because I was a so-called success." Jobe replied. Kayla snickered. "If you weren't a complete success, I don't think you would be here. Honestly? You don't think you're fine the way you are? I do." she said. Jobe shrugged. "Well, I wish I had my memory back, it would be neat to-whaaat?" he said, not noticing what Kayla had said at the tail-end of her sentence. Kayla nodded."Yeah. I think you're just fine the way you are. I wouldn't change anything about you. Having no memory, sorta gives you a fresh start. It let you recreate you are are now, not who you used to be. Well, technically, you used to be nobody, since you were dead." Jobe smiled. "I was dead, wasn't I? Bleh. That was about 4 months ago, I can still remember when I was in that experimental chamber. Man, that thing was scary... Oh, snap! I almost forgot. About you helping me, see, I can probably get there faster flying than you could by car. I appreciate the offer, though." he said, almost sadly. Kayla started to lose her enthusiasm, and her smile disappeared. Then Jobe thought of something. "This is how I'll probably be leaving, but first, are your parents home?" he asked cautiously. Kayla shook her head, reinvigorated by his idea. He handed her the books, then willed his body to transform into a large dragon, namely a Charizard. In this new form, he had sizable wings, a long neck, along with sharp teeth and claws, and a lengthy tail with a fire on the tip. Jobe decided to extinguish the flame, so as not to accidentally burn anything with it. He then stood at his full height of 8 feet, and waved at her. Kayla's expression was hard to read; Jobe didn't think it was fear, but amusement and excitement. She held up a finger, then set the books down and ran back inside. Jobe waited patiently, though he hoped it wouldn't take too long. The longer he stayed here, the worse.

Kayla came back outside after a few minutes, equipped with a backpack and two blankets. "For a saddle. Are you sure this is safe?" she explained. "Wait, you're coming with me?" he asked. "Yeah, if that's okay. I already told my parents I was leaving with you, I can't just stay here now. Will it be safe? I don't want to fall off." Jobe thought for a second. "Yeah, it should be fine. If you feel like you're slipping, just slap me, and I'll descend." Of course, Jobe more than welcomed the company, especially hers. She then put the books into her pack, and set the blankets on Jobe's back, right in between the base of his wings. He lowered one wing down so she could climb up. With her on his back, he instantly felt heavier, but not burdened. She wasn't _that _heavy.

With Kayla safely secured on his back, he slowly started to fly up. He couldn't will his body to lighten with her on his back, or he would probably be sent into a tailspin, and that wouldn't be fun. With one last wave towards her house, he slowly headed off towards Nimbasa.

**Nimbasa Town**

The two had arrived at the outskirts of Nimbasa. It only took him about an hour to get there. Kayla didn't want him going in the town, or he might attract attention. So Jobe transformed in his sub-normal self, and stayed back a little ways in the forest, while she went to get some food and other provisions. Food for her, mind you, and even though Jobe would probably detest it, he would have to eat fresh, raw meat, to save money. Other provisions included extra water, some paper so she could keep a record of what they saw (her idea), and a couple Poke Balls. One for him, so that in case he couldn't change back into his human form, she could safely say that he was hers, and they wouldn't get into even deeper trouble.

"Alright, I got the Hitmontop Bars, some Goldeen Water, and the Sudowoodo paper. And the map, too. Oh, and here's something special for you. It's a custom collar. I saw a bunch of Trainers had them on some of the larger Pokemon, and I thought it would fit well if you had one. You don't have to wear it, but I think it would look nice." she said, ending with a smile. Nodding, he put the collar in his pocket, it wouldn't fit right if he put it now. Taking a bottle of the water, he started to mark in the paper, but then remembered something: he didn't know how to write.

Embarrassed by his deficiency, he just set the pen and paper back, and took another swig of the drink. Kayla had prepared a picnic lunch, probably his last human meal until they got to Undella Town. And, as cliché, conversation is always served during lunch.

"Hey Kayla, what's your last name? I don't think you've ever told me it." he asked her. After swallowing a bite of sandwich, she answered. "Payton. I like it, it kinda goes with my first name. And, of course, I would ask yours, but I already know what it is." Jobe forced a small laugh. "Yeah, I need to make one, in case I need it, but I couldn't think of a good one." He pondered an idea for a second, but it sounded ludicrous and disposed of it. "I already tried to give you one, but you wouldn't have it." she said, shaking her sandwich at him. Jobe took a risk, and reached out quickly and took a bit of it. Mmm. Ham and cheese. "Hey! I'm gonna get you back for that." she said, giggling. _Good... she didn't take it the wrong way._ He thought to himself. Jobe then took another sip of his water. Kayla reached over and snatched the bottle from his hands, and took a sip from it. "Hey, you know you're not supposed to drink after people. Especially after they BACKWASH!" he said, saying the last word with more emphasis. Kayla spewed the water in his face. "Hey! I was just kidding. I swallowed all of the sandwich." he said, wiping the water, ham and cheese bits off of his face. "I bet you did, you have such a big mouth." she said, sarcastically. "Ha ha. Very funny. Gimme my bottle back." he told her. "Not till you say you're sorry." she replied, holding the bottle out of his reach. Well, his normal reach. Jobe stretched his left arm out to 6 feet and grabbed the bottle out of her hand. "Aww. You're mean. C'mon, I gotta have some kind of blackmail over you." she said. "Good luck trying to find something." he replied. "Then I'll have to make one." she said, packing up the rest of the food. Jobe realized that lunch was over, and he handed her the bottle and the wrapper from his sandwich. Jobe then took the collar out of his pocket, and handed that to her too. He then changed back into the Charizard form, and she handed him the basket, for him to carry in his forearms. Kayla loosened the collar so it would fit around his thick neck, then tightened it when she got it on him. It was actually pretty comfortable. She placed the blankets on his back, then mounted him. After she was comfortable, he hunched back on the ground, then took off in the direction of Black City.

**Black City (no this chapter isn't done yet!)**

It was a good little fly to Black City from Nimbasa, maybe an hour and a half. To pass the time, Kayla had brought the notebooks to note what she could see from that high up. It wasn't as hard as she thought it would be, they were only about 150 feet up, so it wasn't too lofty. Once they got there, Jobe soon realized there was no where for him to hide. It was all streets and buildings. "This could cause a problem," he said, his voice straining over the wind. Kayla just shrugged. "Then don't land here. Undella isn't that far away." Jobe didn't want to sound like a wimp, but his wings sure were getting heavy. He pushed through the exhaustion, and navigated towards Undella Town.

**Undella Town**

"Whew! It's starting to get hot up here. Can we land?" Kayla said, beads of sweat running down her forehead. "'It's not that far away' she says. Don't land here, she says. Now she wants to land." Jobe thought out loud. "Hey!" she yelled, slapping him. "I heard that. Just hurry up and get there." she said, laying her head down on the blanket. "Umm, Kayla? We're here." he said. But there was no response. "Kayla?" Jobe turned his head around, and was shocked to find that she wasn't there.

**I love to torture you. I should probably stop here. But I won't, cause I'm nice. Now you almost hate me. Good. Keep scrolling.**

"Kayla!" Jobe screamed, looking frantically scanning the area below him for her. "There you are!" He spotted her, falling at a steadily increasing rate, to her doom. "Let's hope I'm fast enough!" Jobe said, angling his body down towards her direction. He pulled his wings into his side, and it made him accelerate much faster. He was within 10 feet of her, when the clouds stopped blocking the ground, and he just saw how close he really was. There was a house about 100 feet, straight ahead. He started to aim for it, but grabbing her first in his claws, then opening his wings to slow his flight. "Ngghhh!" it put Jobe at his limit. So much air, going so fast, so soon, basically broke him. But, he had to protect her. He turned his body, so that his back was facing the house, and waited for the inevitable, crashing right through the wall.

SMASH!

Jobe hit the wall at such a speed, he smashed into the first wall, then the second, and the third wall stopped him. He had flown right through the home's kitchen, the living room, and landed in the dining room. With Kayla safe in his arms, he slowed his fall forward, before silently passing into the void.

**Okay, now here, I'll stop. Ha. Now review for Pikachu again. Oh, and thanks to Christopher Paolini for his quote from the movie Eragon.**


	8. REVIVE!

_**A/N: Mwhaha. I made some of you mad.**_

**WARNING: **Break glass in case of emergency, in case of emergency.

**I erroneously stated a credit to Paolini for a quote from the movie, but the quote it actually in THIS chapter.**

**Ages 16+. Implies something quite matching with the vocabulary of that particular scene.**

_**RECAP:**_

**After Jobe left, he headed over to Dr. Wellstep's destroyed laboratory. Finding an important book there, he ended up at Kayla's house, only to find (much to his pleasure) that she was going with him to Undella Town. He changed into a Charizard, and flew near there, with her on his back. Closer to their destination, Kayla fell, and Jobe rescued her, but not without serious injury.**

"Ooooohhh... what happened?"

Kayla groaned. "No no, lay down and rest." said an older woman, who stopped her from sitting up. "You are so lucky to be alive. Your Charizard took quite a hit going through two solid walls like that. He had to of been flying at a very fast speed." Kayla then started to remember what happened. They were just flying to Undella Town, when she started to feel really hot and sweaty. She laid her head down on the blanket, and must've passed out. When she did, she lost her grip, and fell off of him.

"Is my... Charizard okay?" she said, almost forgetting who it actually was. "Well... some friends cannot be replaced..." Kayla started to cry. The old woman patted her on the back, then reassured her. "But some don't have to be." she said, smiling. When Kayla got the meaning of what the woman had said, her tears quickly dried up. "I need to go see him. I don't hurt anywhere, why are you stopping me?" she asked. "Well, I didn't see what happened in the sky, but I wanted to protect you in case that beast would try to hurt you again." she explained. "He's not a beast! And he wasn't trying to hurt me! He was trying to save me! If it wasn't for my... Charizard I wouldn't be here!" Kayla said, shoving the elder woman out of her way, and headed downstairs. Or, what remained of them.

Jobe had blown a 6 foot circular-shaped hole in both walls. A cabinet was in between them, and it must've fallen, and partially obstructed the stairway. Fortunately, the woman's husband cleaned most of the debris and mess up, and the house almost looked like it hadn't been touched. With the exception of the gaping hole. Two gaping holes.

The Charizard was still laying unconscious where he had fallen. The older man obviously couldn't move him, so he had to clean up around him. "Wow... I am so sorry about the house." Kayla apologized. "No no, don't worry about it. Now it gives Boris a chance to paint the walls." the lady said. Boris grunted. Kayla reached to her side for a Pokeball, and hoped she knew how to work it. _Let's see... I aim it at Jobe, press the button, and... _

Scchheww!

A beam of light shot out of the middle of the ball and struck Jobe, sucking him into the ball. He was now highly compressed inside of the containment chamber. Kayla hooked the ball back on her waist, apologized to the adults again for the mess, and departed. Not knowing any direction at all, she wandered aimlessly up and down the hills of the country side.

After about two hours of ambling around, she caught sight of the local Pokemon Center. Kayla took off heading towards the tall building, she guessed it was about 4 blocks away. As she was running, she noticed the calm waters of the Undella Bay wash up various types of seaweed and shells on the coast. It was a little before dusk, and the sun was just beginning to set. Slowing to a stop, she watched until the sun was completely shrouded by the horizon. _How romantic..._ she thought, and continued on her way.

Arriving at the Pokemon Center, Kayla sat down in one of the uncomfortable chairs that they so graciously provided. _What am I going to do about Jobe? What if he wakes up inside the Pokeball, or while he's being healed? Even __worse, what if he decides to transform? _Kayla got up and walked over to the counter to ask the lady what she could do with home aid.

"Excuse me, miss, I have a fainted Charizard here, is there anyway I can heal it using home remedies?" she asked, trying not to bare too much information.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokemon Center. We restore your tired Pokemon to full health. Would you like to rest your Pokemon?" the counter person asked with a blank, but happy, expression. Kayla raised an eyebrow. "Uhh, no, I just asked you a question. Is there anything I can do?" she asked again.

"Sure! We can restore your tired Pokemon to full health. Would you like to rest your Pokemon?" the pink-haired woman responded. Kayla rolled her eyes, and moved to the Mart section, where a guy was sitting, reading a newspaper. "Hiya, I have a hurt Pokemon here, what can I buy to heal it? He's fainted." she asked, hoping to get some live treatment here. Her luck wasn't much better. The guy didn't even move, he just kept reading the headlines. Kayla was starting to get frustrated now. She reached over and tore the dude's paper in half. "Look! I said I got a hurt Pokemon here, now what can I buy to revive it?" she yelled. "Meh. Revive?" he confirmed. "Yeah, I want to revive him." she answered, hoping for success. "Revive." the guy said back. "Yeah. I want to revive him. I just said that." she said. "REVIVE!" the man yelled, slamming his hands on the counter. "What, are you a magician or something? Just saying it ain't gonna work. I need something to get him aroused." she said, now getting angry again. The man looked at her in confusion. "R. E. V. I. V. E. R-e-v-i-v-e. REVIVE!" the man repeated. "That tears it. Sell it to me now, or I'm taking it! What the heck are you, anyway?" she said, slamming her hands on the table too. The man slapped his forehead. He took out a piece of paper, and wrote down:

R. E. V. I. V. E. Revive. Revive, REVIVE!

Kayla read it, and clenched her fists and crumpled the paper up, then threw it at him. Taking a breath, "I. N. E. E. D. S. O. M. E. T. H. I. N. G. T. O. A. W. A. K. E. N. H. I. M." she said, spelling each word out clearly. "Awaken? Awakening." he replied back. "YES! SOMETHING TO AWAKEN HIM!" she said, finally getting some progress. "Awakening, Revive. Awakening, Revive." the man slapped his forehead again, then pointed a finger out the door. Kayla gladly left.

_I don't get it. What the heck was wrong with that dude? He was just ranting about Revive and Awakening... I'll have to see if there's a local place to get the stuff. Hopefully someone who has a decent vocabulary. _She thought to herself. Looking over her shoulder, she took off in a dash towards the woods. Kayla didn't want to get in too deep, because the Sawsbuck ticks were horrible at this time of year. But she had to let Jobe out, in case he had woken up. _Umm, let's see here. Press the button, and call him forth. _"I choose you, Jobe?" she yelled out, into open space. Instantly she felt stupid for doing so, though no one was around to notice. The Pokeball exploded with a flash of light, then a fainted Charizard came out, still unconscious. "No... Jobe..." she said, her voice trailing off. She put the ball back into the slot, and sat down next to him. Kayla started to stroke his neck. It was thick, orange, and it felt cold. _That's not good..._ she thought. She checked the normal spots for a pulse, but didn't find any. _Well, he's a Pokemon, so it's probably different...right?_ She asked herself. Deep down, she was feeling very worried right now, since he was basically their transportation. She couldn't go very far without him. Nor did she want to, not in this unfamiliar area. He was, for the most part, their defense, too. She had enough money to pay for food for a couple days, but no shelter. Kayla sighed, and rested her head on his back, feeling tears swell behind her eyes.

_He felt frozen. Intensely frozen in life. He couldn't help but feel it, it was his destiny. And it hurt so much. It blocked out all feeling, because only a fraction of what should be there actually existed. Until it could kindled, he would never thaw. _

_It was unending, there would be no conclusion to this dark abyss. With nowhere to go, nowhere to flee. He would spend the rest of his days suffering through this anguish, this cold nihility. There was nothing he could do about it, nothing he could change, to ease the feeling of void he was feeling right now. And, it will remain, until he changes..._

Kayla felt very relaxed while rubbing Jobe's neck, it was so comforting to know that someone would sacrifice their life to save yours. And that could be just what Jobe had done, though she hoped all that she could, that he hadn't. _It would be such a shame for someone so unique as him to be wasted with a life like mine... _She thought to herself. It now made her feel low, compared to one like Jobe. Her self-esteem went out the window; she felt like a nobody now. _Why am I even wasting my time here? I could be useful somewhere else, like 6 feet under... _Now Kayla was having a bad day. Virtual thunderclouds boomed above her head, and she felt that all was lost. _He's not gonna wake up, I'm going to get carted back home, and I'll live that way forever..._

Kayla then started to cry. With the numerous tears flowing down her cheeks, she continued to rub Jobe, though she felt no comfort in it anymore. _That's it. I need to take a walk._ So she got up, took a bottle of water with her, and left Jobe to his seemingly endless slumber.

It was about dusk when Kayla returned, she had been gone for about an hour. In that hour, she had ameliorated herself of her hopelessness, feeling much improved and rejuvenated. That soon ended, because once she got to the site where she had left Jobe, instantly, Kayla wished she hadn't. Jobe was gone.

Packing up everything that was left, she quickly started to scan the area for a large Charizard. It was getting dark, so it was hard to see, but she relied on more than sight to find him. She searched a small radius of the site, but couldn't locate him. Kayla left, and started to search Undella Town for Jobe.

_Where the heck is she?_ Jobe asked himself. When he had woken up, he found himself laying on the forest floor, alone, but with the provisions Kayla had bought. But, she wasn't there. Nowhere near, because he couldn't smell her either. After he felt aware enough to fly, he took off, and searched the nearby Undella Town for her, but didn't find anything. He then decided to look over the forest, although it would be nigh on impossibly to see through the thick coppice. But, he had to try. He started by the spot where he woke up, and scanned in a circle, expanding each path little by little. It was well past dark by now, and Jobe was beginning to hunger. Giving up for the night, he landed close to the initial resting area, and hunter for a nearby Patrat or Lillipup. But they were scarce in the forest, so he set his sights on a Tranquill or bigger. Eventually he found one, and killed it rather quickly. He tore the carcass apart, detesting the bland flavor of the raw meat, yet enjoying it at the same time. After his palate was satiated, he rested back at the landing zone, in case Kayla should come back.

_This is starting to scare me._ Kayla thought to herself. _Well, wherever he is, I hope he had food and water. He hasn't eaten in about a day. _Kayla then yawned. The sun had set well over an hour ago, but she was persistent with the search. _I've got to get some sleep. I hope he can wait until morning..._ With new hope, she found her way back to the camp site.

"Aiiieeegghh!"

Kayla screamed with delight. Jobe woke up in a fit, expecting to find an enemy or something similar. Noticing it was Kayla, he changed back into his human form, and hugged her tightly. "Where were you? I woke up, and you weren't here. It scared me." he asked her. "I was here the whole time! It was you who left... no. Wait, I left to go on a walk, then I guess you woke up while I was gone... Oh, Jobe, I'm so sorry..." she said, starting to cry again. "Don't cry, we're both safe now. Now, uh... how come I'm not in that house?" Kayla shook her head. "I'll tell you later, just hold me." she said, burrowing her head into his chest. Jobe had never felt this way before, and neither had she. They were both amorous, her in his arms, like never ere. It felt so wonderful, without a care in the world, it was just the two of them, and no one else. _This is as it should be. _Jobe thought.

They both slept in the forest that night, after building a small shelter out of fallen trees and rocks. And Jobe's shirt. They had used it to stuff the makeshift pillow, made out of the backpack. Kayla marveled when she saw him like that. She had seen some boys without shirts on before, (and even some girls) but none were like him. _ I wonder if it's because of his transformation... _She thought to herself. _Either way, he's hot! _

Jobe didn't really think it any different, shirt on or shirt off. He did notice Kayla looking at him with a different view, but he thought it was normal girl stuff and, since he wasn't normal, it didn't matter to him.

Stepping back, Jobe inspected his work. He had to move some of the larger rocks to support a huge slab that would serving as a roof. Overall, the entire structure measured 4 foot high, 6 foot wide, and 8 foot long. It was a little snug, but it would do until they got semi-permanent housing. "Alright, it's done. What'cha think?" he said, asking for approval. She examined it for a minute, then came to her conclusion. "I suppose it will do for a couple days. We will need to go into town for a pillow or something tomorrow, though. That backpack is uncomfortable." she said. "I was planning on getting a job somewhere tomorrow, hopefully one that pays decent, so we could relocate pretty soon." he said, yawning. "Hopefully. Well, I'm done. See you in the morning." she said, getting under the blanket. "Meh." was Jobe's reply. Within minutes, both of them were asleep.

The next morning, Jobe woke up first, a little after dawn. He ate breakfast alone, then took a piece of paper to write a note. Slapping his forehead, he remembered that he couldn't write. He randomly scribbled on the paper, then crumbled it and threw it at the cave. It fell short, but he didn't care. It made his angry at his awesome power, yet _can't even do something as easy as writing. I've got to learn how... _Frustrated, Jobe got up, and left for Undella Town.

Kayla then woke up, shortly after Jobe had left. "Jobe? Jobe, are you there?" she asked aloud, after noticing he was gone. She looked over for a note, but only found a wad of paper, and after unfolding it, only revealed erratic writings. Nothing that was legible. _He probably left, to go find a job. I at least thought he would say good morning... Pulling the last bit of food from the pack, she ate a modest breakfast of cheese and a slice of Ca_stelia crème pie. There was also only one bottle of water left. _And I'm almost out of money. He better get a job so I don't have to..._

Unfortunately for Jobe, finding one is a desolate vacation spot like Undella was hard. He didn't even attempt to look at the PC/Mart, and that only left a local restaurant, that suspiciously served Frozen Slugmas, and working at the beach shack. He had no desire to learn how they froze living lava, so he finally found a job at the Shack.

"You a surfer?" the clerk asked Jobe.

"No, I had to make another use of my shirt. What would I get paid if I was to work here?" he asked intently.

The guy thought for a second, then came up with his answer. "Three Poke a day, if you do what I'm doing now."

"Only three Poke a day? I can't feed two people off of that!" Jobe cried out.

"Hey, take it or leave it. Unless you want to do some REAL hard, manual labor. Like, real hard. Real hard. So real hard, it's real hard." the shack man said. He looked like the average surfer, with the body and blond hair that everyone wanted.

"So it's real hard labor, eh? Fine. How much does that pay?" Jobe asked.

"Eight Poke an hour." the dude replied.

"I'll take it, but why so much difference between the two?" he asked. This was started to get ludicrous.

"Cause I already told ya. It's REAL hard labor. See ya tomorrow, flat chest." the guy said, ushering him out. Jobe looked down at his torso, and snickered. "At least I don't have man-boobs."

Jobe walked back to the site, where Kayla was taking a nap. ""Get up, you sleepyhead. You weren't sleeping this whole time, were you?" he asked.

Kayla rubbed her eyes, adjusting to the light. "Where'd you go? Did you get food or a job, or both?" she asked him.

"I did get a rather high-paying job, and it should provide quite pleasantly until you go back home." he replied, beaming at his first success in life.

Kayla's expression started to turn sad. "Oh, that's good. Do we get to stay indoors?" she asked him.

"I suppose so, depending on the price of the room. Nothing too flashy." he affirmed.

Kayla nodded. "I'll go into town later and check around. They had some empty villas by the shore, I think they were for rent. Have to see about the price, though. What's the limit, like 700 Poke a month?" she questioned.

"Only if you get a job too. I'll get paid about 1000 per month. Minus food for two... Maybe a little lower, if you can." he said, tallying up the salary on his fingers. On all 1000 of his fingers.

"Okay, then. I'll leave in a minute." she said, tossing the covers off. Their makeshift house had luckily withstood the night, it would've been pretty bad if one of the rocks supporting the large slab had failed. As Kayla prepared to leave, Jobe didn't feel like staying 'home' alone, but he didn't want to keep staying by her side all the time. He tried to look like he was bored, by just siting on the ground with a blank expression, but she didn't buy it.

"I'll be back in a little while, Jobe. Behave while I'm gone!" she said, jokingly. Jobe just grunted.

**It's a done. Chapter 8 is done. A lot happened here, I hope you could follow it. Nine should be up sometime later this week, probably around Thursday.**


	9. Endearment

_**A/N: Thanks to Infinity Warrior for writing a scene of this chapter! See if you can spot it.**_

**WARNING: **

**Ages 17+. Contains alcohol, non-descriptive nudity and sugar. And, DON'T drink and drive. Preferably, don't drink period, especially underage.**

_**RECAP:**_

**Jobe had crashed into the house, and he remained unconscious for a time. Kayla woke up before he did, and took Jobe into the Pokeball, and headed to Undella Town. Not finding any help at all from the PC/Mart, she fled to the outskirts of the forest and awaited his awakening. It didn't come until she had left for a walk, and they had momentarily lost each other, but found themselves again. Night had arrived, so Jobe built a temporary shelter to sleep under. The next day, Jobe left to find a job, and he got one at the Shack. Kayla left to get more supplies from Undella.**

Kayla was walking into Undella Town, towards the Mart, when she remembered the creepo who worked there. Not wanting to take the chance, she headed to a local smokehouse that served frozen Slugmas. _How is that even possible?_ She thought to herself. Shrugging, she entered the building, and noticed a burly man standing at a bar.

"Hey, hey hey hey, you're too young to be drinkin', youngin'. But I'll make a quiet exception, since yer such a pretty lass." the man said, obviously disoriented by the liquor.

"No thanks, I don't want anything to drink. I want some food. To go, like a whole crapload of it, too." she responded, turning down the bottle the man offered her.

"Oh... well, you gots ta order a drink if ya want the junk we serve here. Now buy yerself a drink." the man insisted.

_Maybe I can sell it outside somewhere... _"Fine, give me anything for a drink, then I'll take some Pidove wings and a couple Stunfisk filets." she said, ordering from the menu.

"Comin' right up. Have yerself a seat while ya wait, it'll be little bit." the man said, slapping some meat on the grill. "While we're awaiting, where you be from?"

Kayla hesitated for a second. "Umm, near Nimbasa." she answered.

The man smiled. "I live here. Name's Dennis, what's yours?" he asked, his smile getting bigger.

"K-Kayla. Nice t-to meet you, D-Dennis." she said, starting to get uncomfortable.

"Mmmm... Kayla. That there is a purdy name. I like that in a woman. Or a man for that matter." he said, going into a hearty, drunken laugh. He flipped the meat over, then scraped it off the grill, and put it in a bag. He then handed her the bottle of champagne, and she paid him for it.

"There ya be, Kayla. I hope ye gots a good man to share that with, if not, I'd love to join ya! Have yerself a nice dinner. And come on back now, ya hear?" he said, as she walked out.

"Sure will..." she said, then after she was out of earshot, she finished. "with some protection." she then thought of Jobe, and what he would've done in that situation. He probably would have slapped him upside the head for that type of behavior, then reprimanded them for letting someone drunk serve food and flirt like that.

After Kayla arrived at their campsite, Jobe looked hungry enough to kill. "FOOD!" he yelled, grabbing a filet from the bag and gnawing into it. "Ow! Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!" he said, dropping it on the ground.

"Ha! That's what you get when you don't wait. Let it cool for a minute. Actually, pick that one up and eat it. I dare you." she said, unwrapping the wings.

Jobe looked at the meat for a second, then his stomach growled again. "Fine!" he replied, letting his competitive side take over. He snagged the chunk of meat from the dirt, and took a bite out of it. It was still hot, but with the layer of dirt that was on top, it seemed to be cool enough to eat. It did take him a minute, but he ate the whole thing. "There. I ate it. Now why did you get that bottle?"

Kayla shrugged. "They wouldn't let me order any food if I didn't buy it. Maybe they have an overstock or something. I don't want it, and I don't think you should either. I was going to just sell it in town, but it was starting to get dark and I wanted to get back. You can try some if you want, but don't have a lot of it." she said, handing it to him so he could examine it.

Somewhat interested, "I'll just take a small swig." he said, opening it and leaning his head back to let the liquid into his mouth. It tasted strangely sour and sweet at the same time, yet it burned and cooled simultaneously too. It was a nice mix of flavors, and it left with a pungent aftertaste. "Wow! This stuff isn't bad!" he said, taking a rather large gulp of it. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve then offered it to Kayla.

She shook her head, saying, "No, I don't want any. You probably shouldn't be having any more, it's not good for you." Jobe shrugged, and chugged down even more of the liquid. It was half-gone now.

After Kayla and Jobe finished the rest of the dinner, which took about an hour, he had just depleted the rest of the bottle. Kayla shook her head.

"You drank that whole bottle? That was way too much, you shouldn't of had the whole thing. You're probably going to go crazy now." she said, reaching out to take it. He pulled it away from her, and stuck his tongue out. Kayla apparently didn't like that, because next thing he knew, she had tackled him to the ground, and he dropped the bottle. It fell on a rock and cracked open, spilling the little drops that were left.

"No! Look what ya did! Now it's all gone. Go git me s'more." he said, struggling to push her off of him. The drinks alcoholic qualities starting to take affect, he started to mumble randomly. "Whoa... my head feels weird. I think I better slow down, I can't get a ticket for speeding. What am I saying! I can't even feel my lips..." he then started to laugh.

Kayla couldn't help but grin at his intoxication. Suddenly, a devious idea popped into her mind.

"I'm sorry Jobe; but you shouldn't have had it anyway, everyone knows that's what alcohol does to you. You feel all loopy; you start to lose feeling in some parts of your body... Which reminds me…" she began, remembering something which was told to her before.

"You said you felt in your lips, right?" Kayla asked, "Let me see if they're really numb or not..." She finished, leaning towards his face, as he stared at her in an utterly drunk expression, until her lips pressed against his.

She had kissed someone before, but it wasn't anything like this one. No... This time, it was filled with passion, not just a quick peck on the lips. She felt Jobe relax under her, and she continued with the smooch, for a total of 7 seconds; which felt like minutes to her.

She lifted her face from his, and saw his drunk expression; blank, yet still entranced. Though from either her or the liquor, she couldn't tell. Maybe it was both?

The only thing Kayla hoped is that he would remember this and question her about it later. She lifted herself off of him, and picked up the shards of glass from the ground, smelling the alcohol in her breath.

Jobe was still laying there, frozen by what had just happened. Kayla looked at him again, and hoped that he was really drunk and not just faking it.

"Who slapped meh? Oh, must've been you, Rick." he said, pointing at Kayla. "Doesn't matter, cause I've still got meh moneh! Ha ha! You don't, do ya, Rick? Yah, that's what I thought. Man, I needa get meh car a wash... Wanna pay for it? I lost meh wallet. Did ya see who took it? Cause I didn't... Ha ha!" Jobe said, continuously ranting on and laughing over nothing. He looked even more dazed than before. Kayla shook her head and guided him into the homemade bedroom, and made him lay down, under the blankets.

"I'll hit the hay in a minute, just don't..." she started to say, but he was already knocked out. Kayla shrugged, and cleaned up the rest of the food. After putting it away, she made sure that Jobe was still asleep, then stripped and changed into her sleeping clothes, the ones from the hotel. Kayla put the other clothes in a bag, then stopped for a second. _Do I really want to get into a bed with a drunken man? Yeah, I trust him, even if he is high. _She thought to herself, then got under the cover of the slab.

Jobe had sprawled out, so she had to move him back over to his side. She then got under the covers, and when she was comfortable, she then had another idea. Kayla grasped Jobe's left hand in between both of hers, and held it throughout the night.

The next morning, Jobe woke up late with a bad headache. And a warm hand. He groaned loudly, waking Kayla up. "Oooh... my head..." he said, putting his fingers to his temples.

Yawning, Kayla gave him an answer. "Yeeaah... you kinda got drunk last night... You were acting all crazy, rambling about nothing, it was actually pretty funny. Once, you were talking about-"

"WHAT! I got drunk? Are you serious?" he yelled, confirming what she had told him.

"Yeah, and like I said, it was funny watching you, too." she said, giggling at the thought of what happened last night.

Jobe stopped yelling, but he still felt like it. "Why did you let me have that stuff? If it was bad for me, you could've at least told me, and not let me have it."

Kayla raised an eyebrow. "I DID tell you it was bad for you, and I just wanted you to take a small sip. I don't see how you liked the way it tasted, but whatever. You took it from me and starting drinking a lot of it. I tried to take it back from you, but it fell out of your hand after I tackled you, and it broke. Good thing, too, or you could've-"

"Wait," he said, cutting her off again. "you tackled me? What the heck was I doing? Please tell me I didn't do anything to hurt you..." he said, regretting even considering taking a sip from that bottle.

Kayla thought for a second. _Should I mess with him, and make him think he did something? ...Nah... _"It wasn't that bad, I mean, yeah, you were yelling and stuff, but you didn't hurt anybody."

"Good." he said, glad nothing bad had happened. "In that case, two things: what's for breakfast, and what is this stuff all over my face?" he asked her.

Kayla froze. She had forgotten to wipe her lipstick off of his face. "Uhh... I dunno, let me see." she said, Jobe leaning in towards her so she could look at it. Kayla contemplated kissing him again, this time when he was sober, but decided against it. "Oh, it's nothing, just a smudge. I'll get it." she said, lying to protect her hide. After wiping the make-up from his mouth, she got up and stretched.

"Hey Kayla?" Jobe said, shielding his eyes, probably from the sun.

"Yeah?" she replied, hoping he didn't question anymore about the lipstick.

"Where is your tank top?"

Kayla looked down. Her top was gone.

"Eeeeikk! Don't look! Just, stay right there. I'll get it." she said, although it wasn't like she didn't care if he saw her like that or not. He did, obviously because he was covering up his eyes. She dug around in the covers for it, and finding it right by his hand, she grabbed it and quickly put the tank back on.

"Okay, it's on. I don't really know how it would've-"

"That's okay, I don't need to know." he said, cutting her off yet again. "Now, what's for breakfast?"

"Is that all that you care about, food and my top?" she said jokingly.

"No."

Kayla raised an eyebrow. "Just, no?"

"Yep. Just no." he said, straight-up and to the point.

"Well... aren't you gonna tell me what else you care about?" Kayla said, although she would have bet another bottle of that champagne that she knew what he would say.

"Do I have to? No, I don't." he said sternly.

"Whatever." she dismissed, ending the conversation there. "Here's your wings." she said, handing him a plate of cold Pidove ailerons, along with a cup of non-alcoholic water.

Jobe quickly devoured them, then took a sip from the cup. The water tasted filthy.

"I bet this water tastes better than I feel." he said, still feeling the head annoyance.

Kayla bit her lip. She couldn't be too nice, or Jobe would think she was onto something. But she didn't want to be mean either.

"Do you want some medicine for it? Though I think the best cure is time, for a hangover like that." she said.

Jobe shrugged. "Meh. I don't care. Time'll work for me." he said, declining her offer to go get some meds for it.

"Wait! Oh crap, I forgot! I have to go to work today!" Jobe said suddenly, remembering his duties. Jumping out of the bed, he hustled to get his shoes on.

"You can't work like this. You won't be able to get anything done, anyway. See if you can get today off, even though it's your first day." she suggested.

"No! How would that look if I can't even work on my first day? Horrible. I'll see ya later tonight, Kayla. Stay away from that restaurant." he cautioned. For once, Kayla agreed with him on that.

"I'll be waiting for you when you get back! Don't take too long, I don't like being out here all alone..." she said, alternative reasons other than security being her motive.

Jobe stopped, and thought about if he should really leave her there. He didn't like leaving her, of course, but he knew if he didn't work they wouldn't be there much longer. Giving her a goodbye hug, she started to run off towards the Shack.

When Jobe arrived, he noticed that there were several people waiting outside, probably for service. He tried to get inside, but there was about 20 people packed into a 10x15 foot space, so it was impossible to get in. Jobe sat down on the soft sand, and waited for the crowd to clear out.

Jobe had to wait a solid hour before it was empty. The Shack sold many types of goods; they had scuba gear, surfboards, wetsuits, even a snack bar. Jobe approached one of the workers there, and he looked like he was on a coffee streak.

"Hey, there! How can I help you? We've got boogie boards, knee boards, skis, we can set you up with a motorboat, a sailboat, any kind of boat! What'cha want?" the guy said quickly.

Jobe's head hurt even more after that bout of words. He had to stop and think so he could comprehend all he had just heard in three seconds.

"I'm Jobe, and I work here. Where do I sign in or whatever?" Jobe said.

The man looked puzzled. "What're you talking about? There was one position left, and I got it before you. Who told you that?" the man said briskly.

"Uhh, no, I came here yesterday,and the guy said I could have the job, and that it started tomorrow, which is today." Jobe corrected him.

"Well, nerts to you, cause I got it! Now get out!" the dude said, pointing out to the exit. Jobe stormed out, fuming.

_Whoa, calm down, calm down. Can't make a scene out here. Might as well go back 'home', I guess..._ Jobe started the trek back, when he remembered that there was still the PC/Mart left, that he might be able to work at. Even though he detested those places, before too long, they would run out of her money, and Jobe didn't want to live off of her much longer. He walked into the PC, and headed over to the Mart section. There was a man there, reading half of a newspaper, the other half apparently ripped off, by some angry customer.

"Hey, buddy, you think you could set me up with a berth here?" Jobe asked him.

"Birth? Birth?" the man said, looking down at Jobe stomach.

"Yeah, you know, a berth, job, whatever you wanna call it." Jobe confirmed.

"Job? Birth? Birthjob!" the man, nodding.

"What? No! I want to work here." Jobe said, starting to get confused.

"Work? Birthjob work?" the man said, obviously puzzled by what Jobe was trying to say.

"No! I want a job here! You know, work? Manual labor? That I get paid lots of bucks for?"

The man smiled and nodded. "Birth... labor... work... bucks?" the man said, confused by the last statement.

Jobe's mouth stood open. "W-what? Do you only talk in one-word sentences or something? Are those the only words you know?" he questioned.

"No."

"No?" Jobe replied.

"No. Labor, work, bucks... Job!" the man exclaimed.

Putting two and two together, Jobe saw where he was getting at. "Yes. Labor, plus work, equals bucks! I'll take it!" he said, finally getting somewhere.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Job, work, labor, bucks. Job?" the man said, throwing his newspaper on the ground, taking his mug of coffee, and storming out.

Shrugging, Jobe took his spot in the seat, glad to finally have a job.

Meanwhile, Kayla decided to walk into town at noon, and see how much a room at a hotel would cost for several months. Hiding their gear in the cave, she headed over to the nearest decent hotel, which was labeled The Torterra Tavern. Walking inside, she found that it wasn't too bad of a pad, yet it was inescapable to the eye that some things were purposefully fake to save money, like the chandelier was plastic instead of crystal.

_But that stuff doesn't matter, so long as the beds are clean..._

She approached the counter person, who was very nice and courteous.

"Hi there, welcome to the Tavern. What can I assist you in today?" she asked cheerfully.

"First, I want to thank you for finally being someone who is alive in this town. I just want to get some prices on a room for a couple months." Kayla replied.

The lady stopped for a second. "Let me get the manager, hold on."

Kayla waited for a few minutes, then a large, burly man stepped out. He looked like the typical hotel manager; clean cut, yet scruffy at the same time. Something that always crept Kayla out.

"How long are you wanting to rent this room out for?" he asked her.

"Mmm... I suppose several months. Me and... my boyfriend have had to stay out in the woods for a day or two, and he just got a job today, to pay for it. But what I want to know, is how much it'll be per week, or month, however y'all want payment." Kayla replied.

"Well, let's just say 6 months for now. You'll get a reduced rate, since you're basically living here for a while, and after taxes..." the manager tallied up some figures, then came up with the final price. "It would cost you about 800 Poke a month."

Kayla's jaw dropped. "Wow... that's MUCH cheaper than I thought it would've been. Thanks! I'll go tell him, and we might just check in tonight!" she said, thanking them for the trouble. "Oh, do you know where the shack is? I'm not sure of the name."

"There is a place called the Shack, if that's what you're talking about. It's only like 1000 feet from here, towards the bay. You can't miss it." the lady replied.

_Hey, I think I'll go surprise Jobe at work, tell him how cheap it'll be. I can't believe it's that cheap, and millions of people aren't here..._

Indeed, there was barely anybody in town, or even at the beach, for that matter. And it was almost the beginning of summer. She walked into the Shack, and asked the guy where Jobe was.

"Well, pretty lady, I don't know of any Jobe. Tons of people come in here every day, I don't think I can remember anyone named that. 'Course, If I thought about it, a face might come to mind." he said, holding out his hand.

"Forget it." she said, not wanting to pay him for that information.

"Hey, whoa whoa whoa!" he said, jumping over the counter, and blocking the exit. "You're not going anywhere, sweet cheeks."

**Whew! Chapter's finally done. It was originally about 5000 words long, but I decided to break it up into two, to make you mad, and that way I'm almost done towards the next chapter, too. Thanks again to Infinity for writing the kissing scene!**


	10. Almost

**A/N: No notes.**

**WARNING:**

**Ages 16+. Contains a fight scene, full non-descriptive nudity and cliched sayings.**

**RECAP:**

**Kayla had left to go get some food, and had a rather unfortunate experience with the bartender. She was forced to pick up a bottle of champagne, along with the food. When Kayla brought it back to Jobe, he eventually drank the whole bottle, and got drunk. He acted a little crazy, but then Kayla kissed him, and he calmed down, to the point of sleeping. The next morning, Jobe had a hangover, but had to go to work anyway, only to find out, he never had a job in the first place. Jobe did get a job at the Mart, much to his pleasure. Kayla wanted to surprise him for lunch at the Shack, where his job was supposed to be. But, when she discovered he wasn't there, the male employee stopped her from leaving.**

Jobe's morning was already gone, and he decided to leave for lunch. He had no desire to go to the restaurant, and there was no other place to go, except for that snack bar. _Eh, whatever. A hot dog sounds pretty good right now._

Walking over towards the bay, he could see the Shack, and a guy standing by the entrance. _Must be other people lined up in there. I'm almost glad I don't work there, after all._

When Jobe got closer, he noticed that the guy wasn't waiting in line, he was blocking somebody from getting out. Normally, Jobe wouldn't bother with helping whoever was trapped inside, but his personality had changed over the past couple of weeks, so he walked up to the man and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey! Who're you holding inside from getting out? You can't stop somebody from leaving." Jobe said, trying to push him out of the way. The man didn't attempt to push back, instead letting Jobe see who was inside. He looked in, and much to his surprise, it was Kayla.

"Kayla! What're you doing here?" he said, astonished.

She was almost in tears. "I was going to come see you, but when the guy refused to tell me where you were without money, I tried to leave, but he wouldn't let me! He said I wasn't going to leave until he got what he wanted... I can only imagine..." she said, starting to sob.

Jobe patted her on the back, then stormed back outside, to find the man still standing there. He gave Jobe an evil grin, then socked Jobe right on the cheek.

"Now get out! This is none of your business, stranger!" he said, walking back inside. Jobe jumped back on his feet, and headed back in the Shack.

The man was still tormenting Kayla, and Jobe had had enough of it. He tapped the man on the shoulder again, except this time, Jobe was the one to deliver a fist to his maxilla. The man cringed, but it was nowhere near what it would take to knock him out. Jobe grabbed Kayla's arm, and dashed outside, where there was more room.

"C'mon, you big lug. Come and get me!" Jobe taunted.

Burly stormed out, trying to grab Jobe with his huge hands. But Jobe was faster, and easily dodged his attempts. Jobe counterattacked with a well-placed kick to the stomach, which sent the guy back about 15 feet. He didn't get back up, apparently either too hurt or too lazy to get back up.

After viewing the damage, Jobe felt somewhat sour inside. It was like part of him just died. Shrugging the feeling off, he dusted his hands off. "There. He's taken care of for now, let's get something to eat." he said, moving towards the back of the Shack, where the snack bar was located.

"No, I wasn't even working here. For some reason, they didn't believe me when I said that I got hired, so I left and I _think_ I got a job at the Mart." Jobe explained, over some chili-cheese fries and a hot dog with onions.

Kayla had gotten the same thing. "Oh... so you mean, you saw that weirdo who was at the Mart? The one who only says revive?" she said, remembering her experience with him.

"Well, this guy was reading only half a newspaper, and he didn't say revive, but he did only repeat what keywords I was saying, like berth, labor, bucks, etc." Jobe replied.

"Birth? What the heck did you do to that guy?" she said, almost laughing when he said that.

Jobe smiled. "No, b-e-r-t-h. Berth, It's another word for job." he described.

"Oh, I was about to say..." she said, giggling at the thought.

"...What?"

"What do you mean, what?" she responded, still giggling.

"What were you going to say?" he asked her, poking her in the side.

She shook her head. "Oh, nothing. It was nothing." she said.

Jobe poked her. "No, it wasn't nothing. It was definitely something..." he said, still poking her.

She swatted his hand. "No, it's silly. Nevermind." she said, trying to end the conversation.

"C'mon, tell me! You can't trust me? I promise, I won't laugh." he said, putting his right hand over his heart.

Kayla shook her head. "No, you'll think it's crazy. I'm not telling." she said firmly.

"Hmmph. You just ruined the fun of that conversation." he said, poking her again.

"Hey! Quit poking me!" she said, pushing his hand out the way again. The barman looked at the couple curiously, then returned to his berth of reorganizing the glasses.

"No! Not till you tell me." he said, furiously prodding his finger into her side.

"Then you're going to wear your finger down to a nub." she said, starting to poke him back.

"Hey! Quit poking me!" he mocked, in a girlish voice.

Biting her tongue, she pushed him off of the stool he was sitting on. "There. That's what you get for messing with me."

Jobe snickered. "You should know you can't stop me just by shoving me off of my seat." he said, but stopped poking her. Pushing himself back onto the stool, he finished off the rest of the dog and fries, then poked her once in the stomach.

"Full yet?" he said, trying to cover it up.

She gave him a 'really?' face. "Stop it... C'mon, let's get outta here, so you can get back to..." she said, as her voice trailed off. Kayla and Jobe both saw the man walking over to them.

"Hey, you!" he said, motioning to Kayla. "We never finished our business! Why are you with this puny wimp?" he said, pointing at Jobe.

"We won't finish, and he is most certainly not a puny wimp, he's my boyfriend, Jobe." she said.

A wave of thoughts rushed through Jobe's mind at that moment. _Did she... really just say that?_

"Well, c'mon Jobe, I think we can both see who would win in a fight, so move on over, and I'll take her off your tiny hands." he said, moving in between Jobe and Kayla, and putting the baseball mitt he had for a hand on her arm. She flinched with the amount of force he was using to hold her arm.

"HEY!" Jobe said loudly, standing up to his full height. True, the other dude was taller and wider than Jobe, but he still was no match for a Shapeshifter. "Get your smelly hands off of her!"

The man smiled. "What'cha gonna do, little man? Huh? What'cha gonna do?"

There were some people who stopped surfing to watch what this was going to turn into. Jobe didn't want to attract too much attention, but it looked like it couldn't be helped.

"You know what they say, right? The bigger they are, the harder they fall?" Jobe said to his face.

Kayla was watching this, her arm still in burly man's iron grip. _Please don't blow your top, Jobe... Don't expose yourself..._ she thought, and sincerely hoped they wouldn't have to go to jail twice.

The man smiled when he heard the rebuttal Jobe gave him. "That's all you got? I'm gonna crush you like a Joltik." he said, clenching his teeth.

Jobe took a breath. "I'd like to see you try."

Furious, the man let go of Kayla and swung his fist at Jobe, and it hit him smack on the cheek. He slowly got back up, rubbing the spot where it contacted.

After recuperating, Jobe launched his own fist attack at Mr. Burly, and it landed hard right in the pit of his stomach. Jobe thought he felt the man's spine with that punch. The guy flew back about 20 feet with that powerful hit, and he was clutching his stomach in agony. But he still got back up, and was ready to fight back. That is, if he lived that long.

Jobe took a step back, and glancing at Kayla, he noticed that he didn't see any fear in her eyes anymore, like she would have before. Now she knew how he would react to situations like this one, and she was darn proud to know him as a friend, and have him by her side. Actually, she was Jobe's only friend. Really Jobe only knew three people, and out of those, she was the closest, in more ways than one. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. Jobe brought his attention back to the task at hand: kicking some bully butt.

This time, the man was prepared, he knew how hard Jobe could punch and kick now. He took each step carefully, and when he got close, he was even more cautious. He didn't dare dispatch another fist towards Jobe; instead, he decided to tackle him with his full body weight, which was quite a bit of it, too.

Jobe felt the 330 pound man crush him under his weight, but it still wasn't enough to keep Jobe down. He forcefully rolled Burly off of him, then delivered a kick to his kidney. The man cringed, but he still refused to give up.

The fight had attracted a rather large group now, and Kayla tried to ward them off.

"Hey, it's just a scuffle, nothing to see here. C'mon, keep moving." she said, but no one budged. Some one even yelled out, "Yeah! Easy for you to say, you're the chick they're fighting over!" That comment made her feel good, yet bad at the same time. It felt good to know that Jobe was willing to defend her, yet she didn't want the other guy to get destroyed when he fought Jobe.

"Who's the little man now?" Jobe taunted the man, giving him two more painful kicks to the kidney. The man didn't feel like getting up, nor could he. Out of breath, he closed his eyes, enduring the affliction that Jobe had caused him. Jobe smiled, then felt a tap on his arm, and Kayla led him out of the area. The crowd was cheering, since the bad guy had gotten busted.

"You don't need all that to go to your head. Remember, it was just for defense. Don't go around smacking people just for the fun of it, you're already in as much trouble as it is." she warned him.

"Hey, excuse me, mother, you know I wouldn't abolish anybody without asking first." he said, chuckling.

Kayla gave him a disapproving glance. "There's nothing funny about that. How would you feel if you were in his place?" she asked him.

"For one thing, I never will be. And even if I was, I would be dead, because it would take that much to stop me from protecting you." he said, hugging her.

She instantly felt warm knowing that he had said that himself. "Well... just promise me you won't do that again unless absolutely necessary?" she pleaded.

"I promise." he replied, kissing her on the forehead.

_If only you knew..._ Kayla thought to herself, as they walked back to their campsite.

After arriving at the campsite, Jobe just remembered he was supposed to go back to work, but he didn't feel like it, so he decided to stay. Earlier, Jobe had bought another shirt, much to Kayla's disgruntlement. He then stuffed another old one into the back pack, for more cushioning. Kayla then remembered why she went out in the first place. With the fight and all, she had forgotten to tell Jobe what she had found at the hotel.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. I went to a hotel, and asked them what the price would be for a month. I think he said around 800 Poke, since we would get a reduced rate, for staying that long." she said, proud of her accomplishment,

Jobe was surprised to hear that figure. "Only 800? Well, snap! We need to go reserve it first thing tomorrow morning. That'll be easy to afford. I could eat much better, too." he said, glad to finally have something to look forward to.

Kayla smiled. "Yeah, and if I get a job too, we'd really be living the good life! There would be so much money left over."

Jobe paused. "Umm, I thought you were only staying for a little while? You know, until I could get a place to stay." he said.

Kayla bit her lip. "Yeah, I probably did... but you're my only way out of here. Until you go back to Nimbasa, I'm stuck." she replied.

"Well, I could always take you back, it won't take that long. Nimbasa's only about two hours away, and it would take even shorter on the trip back." he said.

Kayla was trying desperately not to leave, but she didn't want to sound like she wanted to stay, either. "Well... why don't I just hang around for a little longer. I mean, it's not like I'm being tortured here. I'm actually, y'know... having fun, for once..." she said, her voice trailing off.

Jobe caught the last bit of that sentence. "Even after all the ghetto we just survived through for the past week? What do you mean? Don't you have fun at your house? Y'know, go on dates, go to parties, that kinda stuff?" he asked her in surprise.

She nodded. "Yes. I mean, I've been stuck in that house for such a long time now, it feels good to be out. And no."

Jobe was surprised by her answer. "Seriously? You haven't dated anyone or went out to a party recently?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "Jobe, recently, I've been with you. No, I haven't dated anyone since last year. I had a boyfriend named Tony... he was a star football player, and everyone admired him. But, he let that get to his head. He started to brag, then it turned into arrogance. I can't stand it when someone is like that. So I dumped him, though I think he forgot about me anyway..." she said glumly.

Jobe felt like comforting her, but he had no idea how. _Easy Jobe... don't push yourself on her, just make her feel better..._

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I haven't dated anyone in a long time, either." he joked, trying to change the mood.

She smiled, then playfully hit him on the shoulder. "Of course you haven't. I... I wish I had never dated him. He was so stuck-up... And after it was all over, as typical, I was the laughing stock of the whole school. Even when I was in my senior year, freshmen who thought they could make a joke, did. Eventually, the news got around to my parents ears, and I think that's why they never really let me go out after that."

Jobe nodded. "It sounds like Tony was horrible to you. I don't know how some people act the way they do."

"Yeah. He was a nice person and all, but he just had a very selfish view on everything. And that doesn't work in a long-term relationship." she said.

Jobe had no real idea what she was talking about, since he had no memory of any girl that had previously been in his life. In fact, Kayla was the only person he really knew. "Well, not to change subject, but if you ever feel like going back, don't hesitate to ask. I mean, I enjoy you being here, because without you, it would be dullsville here." he offered.

Kayla shook her head. "I don't want to leave. I like it here."

"I do too, but you know I can't stay but so long. Maybe another season or so, but after that, I have to keep moving. I wouldn't want you to get into trouble just because I am." he said.

Kayla just shrugged. "Meh. I don't really care, as long as I'm with you." she said sweetly.

That struck a bell in Jobe's memory. "Oh yeah, when we were back there at the snack bar, and you told that guy that I was your... well, y'know... boyfriend, that was just so he would hopefully leave us alone, right?"

Kayla started to blush. "Well... maybe yes and maybe no..." she said, with a twinkle in her eye.

Jobe didn't know what to say after that, so he just let the subject die out.

After about an hour of just lounging around, Kayla decided to throw the hat in for the night. Jobe agreed, he was pretty tired too. They both changed, without looking at each other; well, maybe he caught a tiny glimpse of her changing. Then they both got under the covers, to await the next morning.

Jobe yawned. He had woken up early, before she had. He had to go to the Mart to begin the second day on the job. After digging for some work clothes, he changed into them, only to be shocked by what happened next.

"Whoa..." Kayla said, after seeing him once again with his shirt off. She didn't mention anything last time, but she decided to play with him a bit.

Instantly Jobe blushed, and quickly put his shirt back on.

"Hey, that is certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Women look for that in a man, a nice body. And you, Jobe, have got a heck of a physique." she complimented him.

Jobe shivered when she mentioned his name, and his face was turning beet red. "Well, you have got an awesome body, too." he replied, though it didn't have the same effect on her as it did on him. Kayla raised an eyebrow, but shook it off, and kindly accepted the acclaim.

"Umm, thank you, Jobe..." she said, not sure whether that was supposed to be an honest compliment or something else. She shrugged, and got up, only to find that he was leaving.

"What, you're not going to stay for breakfast?" she asked him.

"Well, I probably shouldn't, but okay." he said, sitting on the compacted ground.

It took a minute for her to find something suitable to eat, but when she did, it was some two day old Pidove wings.

"There's still a couple of these left. But that's about it. We're going to have to go grocery shopping tomorrow, so you better hope you get paid between now and then." she said, splitting the entrée in half with him.

They were soft, stale, and overall gross, but they would suffice in a situation like this. While they ate, there was no conversation, per because of what happened moments ago. Jobe felt like he had to apologize, but didn't know where to start. He swallowed the last bit he had in his mouth, then opened his estuary to talk.

"Listen, I'm sorry for that comment. I was just trying to return the favor, but I guess it came out wrong..." he said.

Kayla shook her head. "I knew what you meant. Now, if you had just said that, without me complimenting you first, it would've sounded weird, but it was appropriate, even if I am a girl." she said, winking at him.

Jobe smiled, glad she didn't take it the wrong way. "Good, I didn't want you to be offended." he replied.

"No, I wasn't offended. It was actually kind of... nice..." she said quietly.

"Really?" he responded, filing that bit of information in his memory bank.

She nodded. "Mmhmm. Didn't my compliment make you feel good?"

Jobe thought about how he felt after she said that. "At first, no." he said, chuckling. "I thought something was wrong, or you were being sarcastic."

She shook her head. "No, that was sincere. You know..." she stopped, thinking about what she was about to say. "I think, maybe... nah, nevermind."

Curious, he pushed her for an answer. "What? C'mon, don't be like at the snack bar. You can tell me, whatever it is, I won't laugh. At least, uncontrollably."

Kayla bit her lip, contemplating if she should tell him or not. "No, it'll make me cry..." she said, trying to turn him off of the subject. Jobe just shrugged, then hustled to put his shoes on and leave.

Jobe ran to the Mart. Upon entering, he was pleased to find no one working the counter, yet. He stepped behind, and sat down in the chair, reading the half of the newspaper that the other guy left behind.

It was only about fifteen minutes into his work before Jobe was already trying to think of what she was going to say. There was only about fifteen people living in Undella, and apparently none of them needed anything from the Mart, and as such, he had no customers. He tried to read that paper, but his mind kept trailing from the article about the boy who saved his pet Patrat from a tree, back to Kayla.

It was going to drive him crazy until he knew what it was. He tried to guess, but the only thing he could come up with, was her wanting him to go shirtless again. Not that he cared anymore, but he kinda hoped it would be something else.

It was only ten AM, before Jobe remembered something he was supposed to do before he went to work: go reserve a room at the hotel. After telling the nurse that he would be gone for a minute, he dashed out, and headed towards the only hotel in town; The Torterra Tavern.

He walked in, and was greeted by a lady at the counter.

"Hello there, how can I assist you today?" she asked him energetically.

"Okay, listen. There was a girl who came in here yesterday, who was asking about renting for a couple of months?" he questioned her.

The lady thought for a minute, then nodded. "Yeah, there was someone who came in, asking about that. Are you her boyfriend?" she asked him.

Jobe raised an eyebrow, but he didn't know what Kayla had told them. "Uhh, if she mentioned one, then I guess I am. See, we're not really official yet..." he explained.

The lady nodded. "Mmm. Well, she looks like a nice girl, but I would be cautious."

Jobe again didn't know what Kayla told them, so he asked her why.

"Well, judging by looks alone, she looked like a seductress. She seemed like her morals were in the right place, but I think she might be after more than just your heart, if you get my drift." she said, winking.

He thought he knew what she was thinking, but he didn't want to say it aloud, so he just shrugged it off. "Whatever, I trust her. I want to reserve that room, I think she got a quote for 800 Poke a month?"

The receptionist nodded again. "Yep, that's right. 800 Poke a month, for a minimum of four months," she said, typing onto the computer. "Alright! You're booked. You can check in at anytime."

Jobe was elated. "Great! Oh, and when is the first payment? Not sure when I'll get paid yet." he asked the lady.

"Your first payment will be in two weeks, a deposit of 200 Poke. After that, it will be six weeks later, with the full total of 800." she confirmed.

Jobe nodded. After thanking them, he left, and decided to try to push Kayla into telling him what it was that she wanted to hide from him.

When he got there, he noticed Kayla was taking a morning nap, since there probably wasn't much to do when he was gone. He decided to surprise her, and wake her up.

Tiptoeing quietly over to the makeshift bed, he peered inside of the cave, to make sure she really was asleep. _This is going to be so bad... _He thought to himself, easing him inside of the 'room' without waking her up. He got right up to her face, and yelled.

"HEY! WAKEY WAKEY!" he bellowed.

Jumping up, her natural reaction was to find where the source of the noise was coming from, and attack it, namely, Jobe. He didn't expect her to do that, and took a fist right on the nose.

"OW! What was that for?" he said, rubbing his schnoz.

"Wha? Jobe? What're you doing here? Why'd you wake me up like this?" she yelled, throwing the pillow at him.

"Hey! I was just playing. And, I got the room!" he said, putting the 'pillow' back where it was supposed to be.

"Yippee. That doesn't explain why you're here and not at work." she said grumpily, after laying back down.

"Well, I came to tell you to go ahead and pack, because you can check in now. And, I just told the nurse there that I would be gone momentarily. So I can't stay long." he said, pulling her back up. It was then that he realized his mistake, because once the covers fell, he looked down, to notice she wasn't wearing a shirt.

Covering his eyes, he turned around. "Gaak! Why aren't you wearing a shirt? Is this what you do when I'm gone, sleep topless?"

She pulled the covers back over her. "No. I'm not wearing anything below, either."

Paralyzed, Jobe still sat in the cave. "Why? What's wrong with being decent?" he asked her.

Getting out of the bed, without the covers, she answered him. "That top is just so uncomfortable... Apparently you've never slept bare before. You ought to try it sometime, it feels completely different than with clothes on," she said, pulling out her typical outfit of tight jeans and a signature t shirt.

"Well... I won't try it while you're around..." he responded back.

After putting the clothes on, she tidied up the bundle of blankets, and put them into the bag. But, not before secretly taking his shirt out of it and stuffing it in her personal bag. She threw the backpack at Jobe, and it nailed him right in the head. He still had his eyes closed, thinking she was still au naturel.

"Hey! Don't throw things at me, especially when I can't throw it back!" he complained.

"Why can't you throw it back?" she teased.

"Cause you're still in your birthday suit." he replied.

"Oh. Well, I don't have a problem with you peeking long enough to throw the bag back..." she said with a smile.

That sent shivers down Jobe's spine. It shook him so much, even she could see it. It took all his willpower not to turn around, even though it didn't matter, after she had changed. "Uhh... just put something on, and I'll help you pack."

Smiling, because she had already dressed, "Fine..." she said, after pretending to rustle around looking for something to wear. Kayla tiptoed up to him, and tackled him from behind.

"Aaack! Get your naked body off of me!" he said, only to realize she wasn't nude after all. "You... you're mean. That's what you are, mean." he said, throwing her off of him.

"Aww, come on. I was just picking. It's kind of funny to see you go berserk like that." she said, giggling.

"NO! It is NOT funny! It's gross when you do that. I don't need to see or feel any of your..." he stumbled, trying to think of an appropriate word. "...your mammillitive qualities." he said, picking the back pack up.

She giggled at his made-up word. "Fine then. Just leave that stuff here, and I'll take it to the room. I'll call or text you the room number."

Jobe then remembered that he had that cell phone. "Umm, yeah, that's fine. Call or text me, whichever's better. I'll be at the Mart, until three. See you then, with clothes on, right?"

Kayla grunted. "Yeah, whatever. My naptime's over anyway." she said, picking up the rest of the junk and hoisting it onto her back. "Well? Are you going?" she ushered him.

"Yeah yeah, just taking a last look." he said, noting for the last time, the job he had done on the homemade bed. Turning away, he headed towards the Mart, while Kayla walked over to the Tavern.

Smack-dab at 3 o'clock, Jobe left the Mart to headed towards the Tavern. Just then, he got a text from Kayla, saying the room number, and to hurry so he could check the room out. It was a good thing she didn't ask him to respond or anything, because he had no idea how to work the phone. He put it back into his pocket, then hustled to get to the Tavern.

After he got there, he managed to navigate to the room numbered 35, which was the room she had texted him. He knocked on the door, and he heard a familiar voice ask who it was.

"It's Jobe, Kayla. Open the stinking door, I want to see what a real bed looks like again." he said, anxious to find what was inside. "Wait! You're not naked again, are you?" he asked her.

All he could hear was a snicker before the door was opened. Jobe almost closed his eyes, in case she was.

Luckily, she wasn't, and Jobe entered the room, his eyes fixed upon the queen-sized mattress that maliciously taunted him. He jumped right on it, and stretched out.

"Comfy, eh? Well, don't get too situated, cause you've got to get up again." she said, handing him a list of grocery items.

After looked at the list, "Aww! Come on! Really? Why can't you go out and get this crap?" he whined, trying to enjoy his newfound love.

"I can, but I want you to go with me." she said simply.

Jobe raised an eyebrow, but didn't question her. "Umm, well, fine, then. Give me like, a hour, then we can go." he compromised.

Kayla just stood there for a second, then shrugged. "Whatever." she said, hopping right next to Jobe on the same bed. Rather close, too. Jobe didn't mind, and to support her action, he put his left arm around her.

Kayla smiled and grabbed the remote, and turned the TV on. Browsing through the channels, she looked through the whole list twice, but didn't find anything interesting to watch. She turned the TV off, and looked over at Jobe.

"There's nothing on TV." she said.

Jobe nodded. "I noticed."

"Nothing to do for a whole half-hour." she said, trying to push him into a corner, hypothetically speaking.

"I suppose so." was his reply.

She waited for a moment, then continued. "I can think of something to do."

Jobe's expression didn't change. "I bet you can."

Getting frustrated at his obliviousness, she took it to the next level. "I know of something we can do. Let's do it..." she said, moving her position so that she was facing him. Kayla started to lean in.

Jobe knew where this was leading, and he didn't fight it at first. He felt himself leaning in with her, caught up in the moment. Right before their lips touched, Jobe pulled away, deciding to go against it instead, thinking that he wasn't ready. He turned his face from hers.

"Kayla, I can't do this yet. Not yet..." he said, getting off of the bed. "I'm sorry. Just give me more time... So much is happening so fast." he explained.

Kayla nodded. "I understand. Sorry for pushing myself on you like that. I need to stop doing that, I guess..." she said, her expression turning cheerless.

Jobe thought for a second when she said 'stop' as a verb, but disposed the thought as an inconvenient choice of words. "No no, it's not you, it's me. I just don't think I'm ready for this yet. I'm sure I like you, but it's just too much all at one time." he said, hoping he hadn't upset her.

She nodded in understanding. "That's fine... just tell me when you are ready, cause I want to make the first move. And don't let any other girl have you, yo hear me?" she said, pointing a finger at him.

"Yeah, I do... I guess. So... are we going grocery shopping or what?" he said, trying to jump off of that sinking ship.

**Just over 5200 story words long, by far the longest chapter ever. So tell me, are they too long? They're not taking me any longer to write, but is too much happening in one document? Should I break it up more?**


	11. Possibly

**A/N: I am now using **Ƥ**, ****the Latin capital letter P,****to represent Poke currency, if FF doesn't edit it out. And I fixed the dividers. And credit to the makers of Portal, cause I made a spin-off from them.**

**WARNING:**

**Ages 15+. Contains a referential comment.**

**RECAP:**

**Jobe left to go for some lunch, and by default, he went to the Shack's snack bar. It was there that he found a bulky man stopping Kayla from leaving, so Jobe decided to defend her, and push the man around until he stopped. After he did, they had a short conversation over a hot dog with onions, and the burly man came back. This time, Jobe unleashed hurt on him. After that, he forgot about work, so they headed back home, later to have an interesting talk about the future. The next morning, Jobe left for work, then got the reservations at the hotel, and unauthorized, he went back to home and found Kayla taking a nap. He played a joke on her, and woke her up, only to find that she was sleeping nude. After telling her that she could move into the room now, he went back to work, and she unpacked whatever they had at the hotel. At three o'clock, he left for the Tavern, and hung out for an hour, to find that she wanted to get groceries.**

**o-o-o**

"Hey, is there even a grocery store in Undella Town?" Jobe asked Kayla, who was fixing her hair.

"There's got to be. Undella isn't just a vacation spot. They're bound to have some industry here." she said, taking a brush through her luscious brown coiffure.

"Umm, Kayla? Yeah it is. It is just a place for people to get away from the daily grind. I just happen to be staying here for a prolonged period of time. Oh, and I haven't gotten paid yet, so guess what? We can't buy hardly any food at all..." he said, tying his shoes.

She gave him a look. "Don't you mean, 'we'? I'm not leaving anytime soon. And I can take some out of an ATM or something." she said, after finishing her hair.

"No, I don't want you to spend all your money on me." he said.

Kayla shook her head. "Okay, I don't like telling anybody this, and that's why I acted like we might not make it without you getting a job, but my family is like mega-rich. I mean, seriously loaded. By far the richest family in Nimbasa, maybe even in Unova. All the money I've spent on you and me combined, doesn't even equal to how much we spend on Dante for one hour. The cost of you is so nominal, I could support you and a whole family of four for hundreds of years, at the rate you're going now. I don't mind spending any amount of money at all. In fact, dad wanted me to use some of it, he was afraid I might buy a house and move away if I saved up too much. Anyway, my dad owns a huge company called Exposure Laboratories. Massive company. They probably research everything that is not known about Pokemon, and what they have discovered, chances are, they are the ones who revealed it. I'm not sure, but Dr. Wellstep might've been working on a project for them until he...passed."

That hit Jobe, because there were some many other things he wanted the ask the Doc. "Well, still. I need to be able to support myself, unless..." he said, thinking of an idea. But he sadly threw it out as nothing. "Nevermind. Yeah, I doubt there would be another scientist who would know the same stuff he did." he said, vowing to find one after his criminal record was cleared.

"What were you going to say?" she asked him.

"No, it was nothing. Don't worry about it. It was crazy. Really, it was." he said, trying to forget he had even considered it now.

Kayla shrugged. "Whatever. You know, if you dare, you could always ask my dad about the scientist thing. He could probably name several of them. But I wouldn't go that close to Nimbasa right now," she said.

Jobe agreed. "Wouldn't be very smart. But, I may take you up on that offer later." he said. Jobe's eyes started to wander, looking her up and down. "Your hair looks good." he complimented.

Kayla smiled. "You like it? Thank you. Does it look as good as my body does?" she teased.

He stopped for a second. "Uhh, I suppose so..."

"Hmm..." she hummed in response.

"I don't know if that's a good or a bad hum..." he replied.

"Well, you just weren't as eager to compliment my hair as you were my figure..." she noted.

Jobe didn't know how to respond to that. "Well, umm... they both look nice, I mean your hair and your frame, not... oh, nevermind..." he said, striking out.

Kayla smiled, and shook her head. "You know, I do have a sense of humor, contrary to what you might think. I know the difference between a playful comment and a cheesy pickup line. And you're not using the pickup lines like any other guy would use."

He nodded, not really even understanding what she had just said.

**o-o-o**

Jobe led the way out of the hotel, and into the main plaza of Undella; which consequently, wasn't that big. It was like the olden-day markets: there were a couple fruit vendors there, along with a vendor selling freshly-baked bread. There were also some who had caught fish in the Bay, and a few selling homemade clothes, candles, lotions, etc.

Walking up to one of the vendors, Jobe asked if she knew where the closest grocery store was.

"Why, young man, you're looking at it!" the lady who was working at a Berry stand answered.

"You mean there's no big store like a Grumpig Grocery or anything in this place?" he asked again.

"Uh, yah, I just told you that! Now buy something if you want food or not." she said, offering him a Watmel berry. Jobe didn't have an interest in berries; however, he did want some of that bread. He left Kayla at the berry stand to go get a loaf.

The bread stand had many different selections; between a sourdough, French, Italian-style, he had no idea what the difference was. They all smelled delicious, so he picked one at random, and ended up with a ciabatta. Kayla had walked over to the mini-bakery, and put the ciabatta back.

"No. That's for a panino. A sandwich. The bread we need needs to be a sourdough." she said, picking up another lump of grain and paying the lady for it.

Jobe shrugged and went along with it, because he didn't know the various qualities amongst the different loaves. Apparently she did, so he let her be pilot for the rest of the grocery trip. They bought several pounds of various berries and vegetables, some slabs of fish, and another loaf of bread, due to Jobe's pestering of her not to spend a whole lot of money on him. It should be enough to last them through the end of the week.

**o-o-o**

Going back to the hotel, which was now their home, the unpacked what food they had into the refrigerator. About this time, Jobe was conveniently getting hungry.

"Hey, what's for dinner?" he asked Kayla.

"What, am I your wife already? I don't know. Step on a berry and have some jam on toast." she said, hopping on the right bed with the remote in hand.

Jobe took the comment in a weird way. It was different for her to be so sarcastically cruel in that way, he wasn't used to hearing this side of her.

"Well... fine. No need to be spiteful." he said, getting up and browsing through the fridge. There were no leftovers from the restaurant, and he didn't really have a taste for jam. Giving up, he closed the door and jumped back on his bed, the left one.

"Oh, for Pete's sake. What do you want to eat?" she asked him.

Jobe shrugged. "I dunno, I've never had any of the stuff we got today, save for the meat."

"Well... how about you try it?" she suggested.

Jobe got back up. "Yeah, sure, okay." He sat down at the small table, while she got out the free plastic dinnerware the hotel provided them with. She tried cutting a slice of bread, but it wasn't working. She threw the plastic knife away, and reached into her purse and pulled out a pocketknife.

"It'll have to do for now." she said, wishing she had purchased at least two sets of silverware earlier. Her knife easily cut into the bread, the blade being partially serrated. She then sliced a few vegetables, and handed several berries over to Jobe.

Sitting down across from him, Kayla fixed her own plate. "Now, what do you want to taste first? And, for the berries, you can combine the different flavors. The vegetables won't go together very well."

Jobe contemplated his answer, and decided to bite into an Aspear first. He tried to take a chomp out of it, but it was so darn hard. Jobe didn't expect that, and almost shattered his teeth.

"Ow! I didn't know it was so hard! Dang! Lemme have a soft one." he said, and Kayla picked out a Bluk. It looked like a Razz, but it was blue instead of red. He slowly took a bite out of it, noting that it tasted sweetly dry. It was an enjoyable flavor, but not one he could eat all the time.

"Well? How'd it taste?" she said, digging into her own meal.

"Eh. I wouldn't pick that one if I was stuck on an island." he said.

Jobe picked another one, and after making sure it was soft, he bit into a Shuca berry. This one was sweet, with a spicy kick to it. He liked this one, in contrast with the others. When Jobe thought about it, he deduced that it tasted like Kayla's personality; she was very sweet, yet she could have that spicy side of life at the same time.

"Mmm! I like this one!" he said, asking her for more.

She gave him the rest of the Shuca Berries, except for the ones on her plate.

He quickly finished what she had given him. Now there was only hers left.

"Aww, come on! Let me have the rest of yours." he begged.

"No. And just so you won't..." she said, taking a bite out of all of them.

"Aww..." he pouted.

"You're not going to try any different ones?" she asked.

Jobe shook his head. "Not till I get one more Shuca."

Kayla looked down at her plate. She had three left, but she had already bit off of them.

"Well, if you don't mind me already chewing on them, here..." she said, offering him the rest.

Jobe looked at the berries, and decided he liked the berries more than he cared about eating after someone. But not that Kayla was just any 'someone' to him.

He eagerly scarfed them up. "Meh. I guess that'll do for now." he said, feeling full.

Kayla looked surprised. "That's all you're going to eat? 7 measly berries and a slice of bread?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I've never really been able to eat a lot since I, well, woke up."

"Ah." she said. "Woke up today?"

Jobe shook his head. "No, being woken up from Wellstep. I've noticed how much you eat, and I can't eat near as much as you can."

Kayla shrugged. "That'll save you money."

"I suppose..." he said.

After Kayla finished her dinner, they both hopped onto their respective beds, and she turned the TV on, though she didn't expect there to be anything good on.

Indeed, there wasn't anything but the typical news shows and something on the Pokemon channel. Jobe wanted to watch that, but Kayla thought it was boring. She kept flipping through the list, until finally stopping at a show about how things work. She apparently liked these shows, other ones that try to crack myths, ones that have useless facts, etc. Jobe didn't really have an interest in that crap, he was more curious about things that would actually be useful one day.

They continued to watch the show for two hours, Kayla occasionally commenting on something they said on the program. After it went off, she cut the TV off, then turned over to Jobe.

She continued to look over in his direction, until he looked back at her.

"Uhh, Kayla? Is there something you want to say?" he asked her.

She bit her lip. "No, not really." she said, obviously lying.

Jobe's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, okay." he said, not even bothering to question her about it. He decided to get some sleep, so he told Kayla goodnight, then got under the covers.

"Yeah, goodnight, Jobe." she responded back to him. Kayla decided to go to sleep too, and pulled out the pajamas from her bag, then headed into the large bathroom to change. But, she heard Jobe snore, so she just changed right there. He didn't budge, even after she was trying to be as noisy as she could, to attract his attention, but he was out cold. Shrugging, she hopped into her own bed, and thought about the future until she fell asleep.

**o-o-o**

The next morning, by the time Kayla woke up, he had already left for work. She missed him during the mornings, but she knew that he had to go. Kayla also knew that he had to get paid here pretty soon, or they wouldn't be able to afford the room.

She started the day by tidying up some of the mess from dinner the night before. She washed the only pair of silverware that they had, washed the two plates, and the two glasses. _I wish all the dishes that I would ever have to wash could be so few..._

After she finished the dishes, Kayla decided to go out and walk around Undella a bit. She got dressed into something decent, then walked out of the hotel, towards the more popularized area.

**o-o-o**

Jobe had been working for an hour or so, before he got the curiosity to ask the nurse working at the Center part when he was to be paid.

"Paid? We don't get paid. Neither will you." she said.

That shocked Jobe. "Uhh, what? I don't get paid for working here?"

"You call sitting there reading that newspaper work? Have you even had a single customer? I haven't had a single one for the past 5 years."

Jobe started to feel like he had been duped. "That's crazy. There isn't even a place to work here!" he yelled. "How is someone supposed to make a living around here?"

"Move to Lacunosa."

After he heard that, Jobe stormed out. Fumed that he had just wasted two days 'working' at the Mart, there was virtually no other way to make money. There was nowhere else to work in Undella. _Maybe I should go to Lacunosa..._

**o-o-o**

Kayla was browsing at the market again, looking through the wares that they were selling. Not much different from what they were selling the day before, however. She did pick up some more Shuca berries, though. Kayla soon got bored of the market, and left to go back to the hotel. She wanted to order a swimsuit for herself and Jobe, so they could go swimming in the Bay. Unfortunately, this had to be done online, there were no departments stores in Undella.

Luckily, they had some computers inside of the lobby, so she logged on and browsed an online department shop over in Black City, which they had passed over on their way to Undella. She looked over the site for swim trunks for him, and found a flashy blue pair with white streaks on it, costing about 50Ƥ. She placed it on the order, then searched for a bikini for her. As usual, they only had about 500 million different ones. _This is going to take all day..._ She thought.

Kayla continued to search through the many , until she found one that matched Jobe's shorts. _Hey! That'd be pretty cool. _So she ordered them, too. Thinking about what else to get, she randomly clicked on links until she found one leading to Indoor Accessories. There were some pretty neat things in this section, including indoor putt-putt sets, indoor pools, indoor swings, etc. Pretty much anything you did outside could be found with an inside version. Kayla looked around some more, until she saw an indoor grill, that was apparently flameless, so carbon monoxide poisoning wasn't a risk. She clicked on it for more info, but it said 'Back ordered', so she went ahead and ordered the two bathing suits. After supplying her credit information, she closed the web browser, and head up to the room.

**o-o-o**

Jobe had no idea what to do now. Without a job, he felt like he had to rely on Kayla to live, which he technically did now, anyway. He didn't like it, but there was no other choice: he would have to go to Lacunosa and see about a job there.

After he went back to the hotel, and Kayla let him into the room, he told her the bad news.

"This really stinks. I asked the nurse today about when they got paid, and when I would, and she said that they have never been paid. She said they hadn't seen a customer in over five years." Jobe said with disgust.

Kayla didn't seem surprised. "Undella's not exactly a booming place right now. I seriously doubt that trainers would have any reason whatsoever to come here, except for a short break. Losing your job isn't all a bad thing, y'know. You get to spend more time with me..." she said playfully.

He smiled. "Yeah I do, but I still feel like I have to support myself. I don't like you paying for me all the time."

Kayla shook her head. "Look, I already told you, I don't mind paying for you at all. It hardly leaves even a mark on my account. To give you an idea, I think I've spent close to 400Ƥ on you, since I first met you. In contrast, I've spent nearly 4000Ƥ in one day while shopping, and my dad wasn't very happy at that. I'm telling you, it's not costing me a thing. He makes nearly 700,000Ƥ a day. You're not costing us anything. Don't worry about it, really." she assured him.

Jobe still didn't like it, but there was nothing else he could do for now. "Well, fine, but if I ever do start to cost something, let me know so I can stop it."

"Whatever, but you won't." she said.

"Although, there is supposed to be better business in Lacunosa Town. I may go there looking for a job." he said.

She shook her head again. "Why would you do that? It probably wouldn't even be enough to pay for food and lodging there. Just stay here for a while, and take a break. It's all move, move move with you. You don't ever just want to take a load of and relax?"

Jobe nodded. "Yeah, of course I do. But I know if I stop, the police'll catch me here, and if they see you with me, they'll probably arrest you again. I can't let that happen again. They'd probably lock me up so good, even I couldn't get out. They might even execute me right there." he said, trying not the think about it.

Kayla bit her lip. "What you need to do is find a good spot to stay, like here. I haven't seen a single official in the whole town, I think it would be one of the last places they'd look. The cops probably think you're trying to take over the whole region or something big like that, and once they find out you're just trying to be normal, they may leave you alone." she suggested.

"But I still killed that one guy. Even if he was arrested, you're guilty until proven innocent, and I can't be proven innocent, since I'm not. And they know that. There was a cop there that witnessed it, and so did you. I'll be persecuted one day for it, it's just a matter of what the sentence is." he said.

Kayla just shrugged. "Well, I can't stop you from doing anything, just remember, that I'm going where you do. Except for here, I'm staying here for a bit. No, I don't want you to get caught, but I don't think you will be, at least for a while. So just sit back, and let the relaxation take over... which reminds me. Do you know how to swim?"

Jobe thought for a second, then shook his head. "Uhh, amnesia, remember? No, I don't know how. If you mean going swimming in the Bay, then I don't really have an interest in it."

Kayla had just been shot down, that was one way for her to get another look at him shirtless. There was still that jacuzzi in the bathroom, which was large enough for two people. Though she doubted he would want to get in it with her.

"Well, I ordered both of us a swimsuit, if you ever change your mind. And there is a hot tub in the bathroom, too." she said.

"There's a hot tub in there? Oh, I didn't know that. Well, thanks for the suit, I only hope it's not something dorky as a prank?"

She giggled, trying to imagine him in it. "No, it's not dorky. It'll actually look pretty good on you..." she said, finally getting an image of him wearing the shorts.

"Fine, whatever." he said, trying to end the conversation.

"What, you're not going to ask how mine'll look?" she questioned him.

He shrugged. "I haven't seen it. I guess I will when it gets here."

"You're darn right you'll see it." she said mischievously.

Jobe didn't know what to make of that, so he let it go again. It was getting late anyway, so they both ate dinner, watched some useless TV commercials, then went to bed.

_o-o-o_

**Feel the emotion yet? I do. But then again I'm writing it... And notice how Jobe tries to compliment her, but ends up failing? Yeah, he's not exactly an ace with the ladies. Yet.**


	12. Say that again?

**A/N: ****This is so far going to be my darkest chapter, my biggest chapter, my most revealing chapter, and the most expensive. Actually, this chapter will probably create more questions that it answers. Also, there will be a celebrity appearance! Guess who it will be...**

**No not Jackie Chan. No not Johnny Depp. Even better. :-D**

**I also would like to thank Infinity Warrior once again, this time writing two scenes.**

**And I forgot to credit Jacuzzi® in a previous chapter. So I do that now.**

**And two more things: NO! There shalt be no described explicit content in this story. Even if it may sound like they may be 'doing it', it is not happening right now, if and when it does, I would stop it there and create a separate story, rated M. But it is NOT happening anytime soon. Kayla surprisingly will not partake of such pleasures until she is married, and neither will Jobe. So go jump off a duck. And I know perfectly well that Pokemon cannot talk to humans, (with a few exceptions) but this story needs that to support the plot, so again, go jump off a duck.**

**WARNING:**

**Ages 16+. Contains dark themes, shocking moments, short birth origin discussions, 'bodily activity' talks and see-through clothes.**

**RECAP:**

**Jobe & Kayla were about to leave to go get food, when she revealed to him that her family was filthy rich. She also told him that her dad's company might have been responsible for Jobe. They went and got the groceries, then ate, in which time Jobe discovered that he loved Shuca berries, watched a little TV, and went to sleep. The next morning, Jobe had already left for work, while Kayla went out for some early shopping, in which she purchased more Shuca berries and a swimsuit for each of them. Jobe then found out that he wouldn't be getting paid for working at the Mart, period. He left and went back to hotel, telling Kay the bad news. She reassured him that he wasn't being a burden, and she could support him as long as needed. He considered relocating to Lacunosa Town, but she convinced him to stay for a while longer. They had a short discussion over the swimsuit, then they both went to sleep.**

**o-o-o**

_During the middle of the night, there was a shadow. Not just any shadow, but an evil shadow. True, most adumbrations were evil, but this particular one was gruesome, even amongst its own kind. He stealthily traversed through the skyscrapers, no one being able to track him. He was much too lithe, too quick. Using much caution, he scaled one of the tallest buildings, and stood atop it. He could clearly see the next destination in front of him, which he knew housed his target. _

_Suddenly, he heard something rustle behind him. He flashed around, ready to combat anything that would dare to challenge him. When the figure made itself known, it was much like himself, but with a slightly different coloring. He didn't attack it at first, since it was his own kind. The other being submitted itself to him, to show that it meant no harm. He accepted it, and decided to rest with it for the remainder of the night._

**o-o-o**

Jobe woke up in the middle of the night with a nightmare. He had another dream with Kayla in it, this time, he was the one who was seriously injured. He saw himself lying on a road, with blood spilling out of his head. There was a car that had catastrophic damage in the background, along with Kayla, who was kneeling right by Jobe's mangled body. She was crying, but he couldn't hear why. Obviously it was because he was... dead.

This dream shook him pretty badly. Almost to the point of him screaming and waking her up, too. But all he did was jump up, trying to hold in his shriek. His chest was heaving, his vision was blurred, and his hands were numb. This one was different than the other one. This dream almost seemed... real.

He checked the clock; it read 4:39 AM. He was wide awake by then, so he did what he had done last time: got up and took a drink of water. The only change between this post-dream and the last, was that Kayla was sleeping in her own bed. Jobe drank the rest of the water, then quietly hopped back into bed.

Sleep was hard to come back to him, however. Jobe heard Kayla move slightly, then lay still. He tossed and turned, but it never came back to him. He couldn't get the image out of his head. Frustrated, he tore the covers off of him, then tiptoed over to the outdoor balcony, and stepped outside. He needed some fresh air.

**o-o**

Kayla was dozing, not quite asleep, but not awake either. She heard Jobe get up, but she thought he was going to the bathroom or something. After she heard him get a sip of water, Kayla shifted a little, so she could hear him better. It sounded like he was flipping the bed over. She peered out of the corner of her eye, and saw him getting up, with his head in his hands, and walking out to the balcony, apparently trying not to wake her up. She waited until he turned around, then Kayla got up and walked over to the balcony, to join him.

**o-o**

Jobe was just trying to soothe his mind, but it wasn't easy. _Why do I have to have these nightmares? Is it because of my change?_ He thought, trying to discover the origin of his qualms. Just then, he heard a noise behind him, and he flashed back around to see what it was. He could barely see Kayla opening the door, and joining him out on the balcony.

"I see you couldn't sleep either." she lied.

"Whaddaya mean? I saw you, you were out cold." he said.

Kayla shrugged. "Okay, maybe I was. But you woke me up when you got that water."

"I was thirsty." he said, obviously lying to her.

"I bet you were, after tossing and turning like that. What's up?" she said, cracking his bluff.

"Fine. I had yet another bad dream." he said, reluctantly admitting it.

Kayla nodded. "I see. What was it that made it so bad?" she asked, trying to help him feel better.

Jobe was again reluctant to tell her. "This time it was... me. Getting killed by a car... you were standing there, sobbing, hoping that I was okay. The car was absolutely demolished. It was so gruesome..."

Kayla rubbed his back. "Remember, it was just a dream. Dreams usually tell what has happened, not what is going to happen. So, is that how you were killed the first time?"

Jobe shook his head. "I don't think so, because you were there, Wellstep said I was under a car, not being mauled by one. And I don't think an ordinary man could do such damage to a vehicle like that." he replied.

"Yeah, I suppose so. But I doubt, and hope it's not going to come true. Really, if dreams came true like that, then I would've been married and living on a private island. But, here I am." she said.

Jobe couldn't stop a small smile, because he was glad her dream didn't come true, and he would be ecstatic if his didn't either. "Well, it's a good thing too, or I wouldn't be here either."

"Now I doubt that. Maybe you would've gotten here quicker, or it could have been longer. But I think you would've gotten here either way." she said.

Jobe just shrugged. His dream still bothered him, but not as much now.

A long silence entailed after this, and Kayla broke it by rubbing his back again.

"So, do you feel better now?" she asked.

Jobe smiled. "Yes, I do. Let's get back to sleep, it's still really early." he said, moving back to bed.

Kayla went back to hers too. It was now about 5 AM, and both of them fell asleep. Jobe, with his heart lightened, and Kayla, with hers confused.

**o-o-o**

Jobe's internal alarm clock went off promptly at 7, so he got out of bed, and started to get ready for work, when he remembered he didn't have to go. Slapping his forehead, he hopped back into bed, and just laid there. He was still awake, but it more comfortable than standing around. Kayla was still sleeping, but he had no desire to wake her up, after a past experience. Even though he knew it probably would never happen again, at least in this environment.

He continued to watch her and ponder his next destination until she woke up. It was around 9, not too early but not too late. She got up, but didn't notice that he was awake yet. Kayla walked over to the bathroom and shut the door. Jobe decided he was going to play another bad prank on her.

The door opened outwards. There was a bucket that you were supposed to use to get ice for your cooler. There was also a sink, that deposited cold water when you turned the right tap. Needless to say, he filled the bucket up with ice-cold water, and stood behind where the door would open up.

Once he heard the door unlock, he got ready. The door opened up, and Kayla took a step out. Right then, he dumped the water on top of her. He smiled evilly at his dark deed, and Kayla looked miffed. She _slammed _the door, so Jobe was visible as the culprit, and he gave her a fake 'hi' smile. He thought he could see steam coming from her head, she was so mad. He also noticed that her tank top and shorts were soaked; so drenched, that they were partially see through. He tried not to laugh, or look down, but it was dang hard. Kayla just stared at him hard, and she started shivering. Her lips were turning blue, and her teeth were chattering. Jobe started to wish he hadn't done it, so he set the bucket down, and hugged her.

"I'm sorry, Kayla. I was just playing." he apologized.

She was still angry. "You get to tell the hotel staff you spilled 32 ounces of cold water onto the carpet. And you get to pay for the damages."

"No I won't. It's just water, it'll dry up. C'mon, get a blanket or something, you're shivering." he said, moving her closer to the bed. He ripped her blanket off, and wrapped it around her.

"You're making my bed, too." she said, still mad at him.

"Okay, okay. Whatever you say, dear."

"What?" she said, making sure she heard that right.

"I said okay. Whatever. I'll do it, just know that I was just playing." he said.

"...Oh. I thought you said something else..."

**o-o-o**

After a modest lunch, Kayla had forgiven him, but she still liked him cleaning up the place. She pretended to still be mad, by ordering him to dump the trash, get her a drink from the machine all the way on the 23rd floor, all the while he had his shirt off. Part 2 of her revengeful commandment.

After doing chores and useless labor for her for a solid 2 hours, Jobe was starting to get tired.

"Okay seriously Kayla? Do I really have to do all this stuff? I honestly am sorry, I was just playing around."

Kayla held a straight face for a minute, then blew her cover and started laughing. "That's why you don't mess with a Payton. Yeah, I guess I forgave you at lunchtime. But seriously, don't do that again. My clothes are still wet." she said, trying to wring out her tank top.

Jobe was a little mad that she had tricked him like that, but he was glad she wasn't made at him anymore. "Well, didn't it wake you up? That's what I was trying to do." he said.

"Wait, you mean you weren't trying to see inside my shirt?"

Jobe cringed, trying to keep his eyes up north. "Uhh, no. I was trying to wake you up again like I did before, in the cave, but hopefully with better results. I'm not sure which was better..." he said, scratching his head.

Kayla just shrugged. "Better for you or me? I'll leave that up to you. Anyway, what do you want to do today?"

Jobe thought for a moment. "Mmm... what do you want to do?"

"I don't know, that's why I was asking you. I know that I don't want to shop, don't really want to just sit around here all day, and the swimsuits haven't come in yet." she said.

Jobe tried to think of something, but there wasn't that much to do in Undella, save for surfing, sleeping, and eating.

Kayla had an idea in mind, but after the last experience, she didn't want to put it in front of him again, at least, not yet. There would be time.

The two sat there, trying to think of something reasonable to do for the rest of the day.

"Hey! I know. You wanna go visit another town? We can leave for a day and come back later tonight." Jobe suggested.

Kayla thought about it a minute. "I don't know. Where would we go? There's nowhere I really want to go to..." she said, trying to think of another city that interested her. "Let's just stay here, I guess. It'll be kinda boring, but maybe we can think of something to liven it up a little." she said, a thought in mind.

"Fine, I didn't really want to go either."

"Then why did you suggest it?" she asked him.

"Cause I thought you might've wanted to." he answered.

"I wouldn't of wanted to if you didn't."

Jobe shrugged. "Whatever, this is making my head hurt. Let's just hang here then." he said, stretching out on his bed.

Kayla nodded, grabbed the TV remote and sat on the bed next to him. Jobe felt a little uncomfortable, so he moved over a couple inches. Kayla slowly moved over, closer to him. Jobe didn't have much more room to slide over, he just hoped that she wouldn't try anything again.

"Kayla? If you want to watch TV, you have to cut it on." he said, noticing that she held the remote in hand, but did nothing with it.

She was in a sort of daze. "Huh? Oh yeah, you're right." she said, flipping the TV on.

This time, there was something half interesting on. Listed on the local Pokemon Channel, it was talking about scientists who had finally discovered where Eggs came from.

After Jobe heard the topic, it seemed pretty interesting to him, so he told Kayla to hold it there, but she appeared to be uneasy about it.

"_Hello there, and welcome to the Pokemon Channel. Today in the news, scientists have finally discovered where Eggs come from! Yes, that's right. After all this time, we have finally found out how two different species of Pokemon can stay together for a period of time and create what is known as the Egg." _

The news reporter kept going on about how long it took for the scientists to find out, how much money was spent, how many experiments, etc. Jobe thought it was intriguing, but Kayla seemed uninterested. She kept wrapping her arms around her stomach, but Jobe didn't know why. He signed it off as a stomachache from breakfast or something similar, and kept watching the show.

"_Welcome back to the Pokemon Channel. As we told you before, we found out how Pokemon make these Eggs. May we welcome, Dr. Wellstep, who was a lead analyst in the discovery. Dr., can we ask why it took so long to discover this?"_

At that point, Jobe's eyes went wide.

"HOLY CRAP! DR. WELLSTEP IS ALIVE!" he said, almost pushing Kayla off the bed, pointing at the TV screen. Kayla couldn't believe it either, but she never heard Jobe say he was dead in the first place.

"I didn't know he was even dead. I thought he had moved or something. Now can we change it?" she said, still feeling upset over the subject.

Jobe flashed around. "No way! Wellstep is going to talk! I've got to see if he'll say about where he is now, so I can ask him loads of more questions. He could answer all of the ones I have now, like if I can transfer powers or not." he said, returning his focus to the television screen. Kayla just groaned.

"_Well, thanks for the info, Dr. Wellstep. This is certainly a fantastic step we have taken into uncovering everything we can know about the species. We have still yet much to learn, but this gives us hope. We'll be right back." _The announcer said, then the crowd applauded as Wellstep walked off the stage.

Jobe had missed it. Everything he wanted to hear, possibly even his chance of finding the Doc again, and he missed it. All because of her, all because of Kayla.

"Kayla! You made me miss it. And there's no way to rewind it?" he asked, miffed that he didn't hear what Wellstep had to say.

"Sorry! And no, not on this cheap TV set. Maybe we can ask someone who saw it, if Dr. said anything about his location. I doubt he would, but maybe." she said, trying to offer up a solution.

He ignored her. "And I was so excited to find that he was still alive. And now I can't get in touch with him. Thanks." he said, plunking himself back on the bed.

Kayla sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, maybe you shouldn't pay so much attention to me. C'mon, the show's local, maybe Wellstep is still at the station."

Jobe hadn't thought of that. True, the channel was local, and Doc would probably still be there.

"Fine, then, let's go!" he said, jumping up and grabbing Kayla by the arm, and dashing out the door.

"Wait! It's raining and I need to change first!" she said.

**o-o-o**

It was about a 10 minute walk, or a 5 minute run to the station, WTCUND. (Wireless Television Communication; UNDella Town) After they got there, the company was just finishing their local broadcast, and were about to launch a syndicated show. Jobe knocked on the door while Kayla fixed her hair. He knocked twice more, and a bald man opened the door.

"Yes? Can I help you?" he said.

"Yeah, I'd like to talk to Dr. Wellstep. Is he still here?"

"Hold on a sec." Baldy said, then went back inside. Jobe could hear him shout through the door.

"HEY! WE GOT A BOX OF WHEEL STOPS IN HERE? HUH? NO?" Jobe slapped his forehead.

"No! Wellstep! Dr. Wellstep!" Jobe shouted, trying to correct the man.

"OH, DR. WELLSTEP? YEAH HE'S HERE. COME ON IN, THE DOOR'S OPEN." Jobe heard the man yell, and he turned the knob and entered, with Kayla not far behind.

In the small room, it looked like a college student's dorm. Magazines, CDs, cassette tapes, pictures, empty and half-full soda cans, these and more were laying all over the floor and amongst the tables and chairs. The man stood waiting at the other end of the room, but it was hard to navigate through without stepping on something. Baldy led Jobe and Kayla through another door, which led into a studio. There sat the cameramen, audio crew, director, the host and his guests. Instantly Jobe noticed Wellstep, who was seated next to another guest and someone from the audio crew. Wellstep didn't recognize him at first, probably because of his altered appearance that he got in Nimbasa.

"Dr. Wellstep? It's me, Jobe." he said, introducing himself.

The Doc looked him up and down, then got up and shook his hand.

"Jobe? I never thought I would see you again. I see you look well. Who is this, uhh... lady-friend here?" he said, gesturing at Kayla.

"Oh, this is Kayla. I met her shortly after leaving your lab, and I guess she decided to follow me." he said, not going into detail.

"Oh. Does she... know?" Wellstep questioned with anxiousness.

Jobe nodded. "Yeah, and she's okay with it too."

"Well... not exactly sure if that's a good thing or not. I suppose that if she keeps it to herself, and you trust her, it should be fine." he said. "Now uh... is there any particular reason why you chose her? She seems kind of like a floozy to me." Wellstep asked quietly, glancing her up and down, noting the way she was dressed.

Instantly Jobe hoped that Wellstep couldn't read minds, because she could act like a jade sometimes. "A floozy? Not at all. No, she had just woken up, and we saw you on TV, and I wanted to get here before you left, so she didn't change clothes. What did you mean by chose her?" he explained, then asked.

Wellstep nodded. "She must be a very late sleeper to get up at 10 in the morning. Anyhow, even though I may not approve of her clothing, so long as she behaves as a young lady should, Kayla will be a fine partner. And, I meant just that; is she not your wife or girlfriend? Surely she should be."

Jobe's cheeks turned red. He couldn't see her, but Kayla was nodding and giving Wellstep the thumbs-up. "Well, see, not really. I don't know, I'd rather talk about this in private." Jobe said, gesticulating to the other people in the room.

"Very well. Let us go to your house- you are not living outside, right?"

Jobe nodded. "Right, we moved into a hotel a couple days ago, I guess." he said, leading the way out.

"You mean to tell me that you two live together in a hotel? In the same room, possibly sleeping in the same bed?" Wellstep exclaimed, staring to have second thoughts about going.

"No, see it's not like that. Just wait until we get to the hotel, then you'll see." Jobe said, starting to get stressed.

**o-o-o**

Arriving at the Tavern, the trio found their way into the room, which wasn't too messy, but it could use some tidying up. Jobe told Wellstep to have a seat anywhere, and he found a spot on the sofa across from the beds. Jobe sat on Kayla's bed, and she sat next to him.

"Fine, now that we are out of reach of undesirable ears, we may talk freely. That is, unless you do not wish Kayla to hear any of this?" Dr. Wellstep inquired.

"No, she can hear this if she wants to. It's not really a secret to her anyway. Would you like to tell her how it all began?" Jobe asked.

Wellstep nodded. "I would, but please retrieve for me a cup of water to clear my throat." he said, and Jobe got up to fix him a glass. He handed it to the Doc, who then took a sip from it.

"Kayla, I'm not sure what Jobe told you, so I'll start from the beginning. And Jobe, you may not have even heard all of this...

It all started when I was walking in Castelia City one day, and noticed that there was a fire burning, not too far from me. I found where the source was coming from, and it was a car that had been overturned. There were bloody claw marks all over the side of the car, clearly made by some Pokemon, and I haven't even identified the source to this day, but I believe they were caused by either a Zoroark, a Zangoose or a dragon-type. Any of these could've been the culprit, but it is nigh on impossible to find out who it truly was without a witness, which to my knowledge, there was none. Make note, that it is not near as important as the other facts, but it is one and must be treated as such.

After examining the claw marks, I took a step back, and noticed what was a pair of feet under the car, that I knew had to be from a human. And it turned out that this human was Jobe, however he was dead. I won't reveal how I got you out from the car, but let it be known that I myself am not a Shapeshifter, just for your curiosity.

Now, let me give you a backstory on why I rescued him. First, it was the right thing to do, to make sure that no one was hurt, but that wasn't the case. Second, I had begun my own experiment, testing it on certain beings, all of which had failed before Jobe. This experiment was morphing characteristics of bi-pedal Pokemon with humans. Some of which failed at such proportions, that the results had to be killed off, so as not to disrupt the normal flow of life. That is when I discovered that I would have to use dead subjects, and revive them, so that it would be no change to the cycle if it failed again. Now, problem was, was that there was no current way for a living being to be brought back to life, within reason. Jobe, your leg was damaged beyond repair; and as you may or may not remember, you fixed that problem. But I digress.

So I spent another year or so trying to develop a way to revive deceased beings, and I finally did so on September 17th, three years ago. Yes, so you were actually frozen for about three years before I officially revived you. You were also the first human to be revived from the dead, at least being dead longer than a week. I have since revitalized Pokemon and insects, and the results have come along very pleasantly. I plan to have the device registered soon, and the President of Unova is due to award me a large sum to fund further projects in light of my successions. But again, that is a different matter.

After I finished the revitalizer, I then had to find something to morph you with. I chose a blend of a Zoroark and a Ditto that I had done earlier, and this is what you were morphed with. I think it went fine, with the exception of memory loss, but I believe that this is due to the fact that you were dead before I morphed you." Dr. Wellstep finished, and downed the rest of his water.

Jobe was speechless. He now knew most of his true beginnings, at least as far as he would ever know.

Kayla seemed just as stunned. Wellstep was indeed a very intelligent man, and she had never met or much less heard him talk before, and he was rather hard to understand.

"Well, Dr. I have a couple questions for you, if you can answer them." Kayla started. She bumped Jobe's arm.

"I would be happy to, especially if they are about your 'friend'." he replied.

She was curious what he meant by that, but didn't push for an answer. "Okay, then. What was Jobe like before I met him? You said that you kept him under your care for like, 3 months, right?"

Wellstep nodded. "Yes. He was very humble at first, not really knowing himself at all, but it rose to an appropriate level of pride soon. He didn't really feel any emotions, or at least he didn't make them known. And I know that has changed. Which brings me to my own question. What has happened with you, Jobe? And I want details between you and Kayla. And do not lie to me."

Jobe decided to answer this one, knowing Kayla would probably tell him that they were together and end it there.

"Well, starting from where you left off, I first met her shortly after leaving your lab, and I went to her house to ask for directions. I got off to a bad start with her mom, and her pet, so I left there for Castelia. I think later the next evening, I was looking for a place to stay, and I apparently sat on her car. She confronted me, and we had a little conversation. I did sleep in the streets that night, just so you know.

I don't think I saw her for a couple more days, until I got arrested. Well, we both got arrested. But then-"

Wellstep cut him off. "You both got arrested? What for?"

"Well, I think they said it was for being a menace to society. Someone must've seen me transforming, and called the cops. I think they thought she was an accomplice or something. We escaped, and she drove back to her house, where I thought that was going to be the last I ever saw of her. I went back to try to find your lab, and found your lab in ruins, and this..." he said, getting the book had had found out of a drawer. He handed it to the Doc.

"I found that at the remains of the lab. There were some other things, but that looked most important. Anyway, I stopped in front of her house, to take a last look, cause I knew the cops were looking for me, and I was leaving for Undella Town." he said.

-Dr. Wellstep examined the book, then flipped to the last page, and wrote something in it.

Kayla finished the rest for him. "And this is where I really came in. I saw him standing there, so I slammed the front door to grab his attention, and he came over, and we talked for a minute, then I told him that I could drive him to Undella Town. But then he said that it would be quicker to fly, so he changed into a Charizard and we flew there. But when we were almost there, I fell off and him, trying to save me, crashed into a house, and that really scared me, cause he stayed unconscious for like 2 days. I managed, but it was hard. To make a long story short, we rented this room, and saw you on TV." she said.

Wellstep nodded. "Interesting. So I see that you, Kayla, were in a way, trying to attract him." Dr. didn't pull any punches; he hit the nail on the head. "You still haven't told me about your inside, personal relationship yet."

She smiled, while Jobe sighed. "Okay, fine. Kayla, I'm not holding back anything anymore...

When I first met you, or her, I was instantly entranced. I don't know what it was, but something about you caught my eye, and I never stopped thinking about you since. Anyway, I knew I wanted to get to know you more, but your mom would've shot me if I got close. So I thought it would've been a lost cause until I met you in Castelia again. That rekindled something, so I tried to stay in town as long as possible. I guess, that eventually events occurred until we got to know each other more, and here we are."

Wellstep shook his head. "No no no. Let me explain further. What is happening between you two? It is not possible to just be friends like that, live together, travel together, you basically do everything together, and it cannot be without there being something more." he said.

"Well, I guess that's possible. Maybe there is something more, but right now, nothing special is happening. At least, I've told myself nothing special can happen right now, I don't know about you, Kayla." Jobe said.

Kayla shrugged. "I don't know. You said you weren't ready for anything. I said for you to let me know."

That put Jobe on the spot.

"So? Do you or do you not want her?" Dr. Wellstep pushed for an answer.

Jobe was getting frustrated. "Yes, and no. I mean, yeah, I do, but I'm not sure I can handle it right now. Realistically, there's just too much going on right now, with the cops and all, jobs, finding a somewhat permanent home, all that crap. I think it would be kinda hard to have a relationship under those conditions." he said, finally getting his point across.

Wellstep nodded. "I think that the both of you, so long as you each permit it, and considering the circumstances, that you two should abscond, since you are on the run anyhow, and just be done with it. If you know that you love each other, which I presume is true, then go with it. Do not sit idly by with those type of feelings." the Doc said, clearing his throat, and also letting the heavy words sink in. "I also believe that your love for her should be strong enough to withstand those troubles without a scratch, if it remains as it seems now. Jobe, I do think that you are, however, partially right. In light of what was previously said, there are certain things that I believe are prohibiting you from being together, and not so much as your traveling technique, or your standard life problems, but more how her restrictions may be concerning her parents. I presume you have had conversations like these with them?" he asked Kayla.

She nodded. "Sort of. Not like we probably should have, but they know that I am old enough now to make my own decisions based on my own judgment."

Jobe was surprised that he heard that. He thought for sure they would have to take a trip back to her house just so they could check up on her. _Wait a minute, she's got that cellerfoam thingy. I guess she could talk to them whenever she wanted to..._

Wellstep continued. "Very well then, I also assume that you will apply such logic and judgment on who pick as to be your partner, whether Jobe or anybody else, it is all up to you. As a word of advice, and I mean this in no negativity, do not choose Jobe just because of his special ability. It may sound very tempting, especially since that ability can become useful in various ways, but do not let that cloud your mind. If you like him just for that fact, you may be disappointed later. And I think that you know what you would want, so again I leave this to you, you don't have to answer." he said.

Kayla shook her head. "No, nothing needs to be unanswered anymore. I love Jobe because of his personality, how he reacts to situations, and how he makes it out of them just fine. Not to mention, his awesome abs..."

Wellstep smiled. "Jobe, also a word of advice to you. Since you have this skill, do not abuse it to attract a female. I only hope this is not why Kayla is 'traveling' with you now. I do sincerely hope that this is a matter of affection and not one of showing off. And that is just my warning, do not utilize this power for that purpose. It leads to a dark road, and that is one which I seriously doubt you would enjoy. You may be pleased with the adoration that you would receive, but it is, more likely than not, for the wrong reasons." Dr. Wellstep said, giving a firm warning.

Jobe took it in as wisdom, and not a commandment, but he had no interest in 'playing the field' anyway. There was only one he was interested in, and she was sitting right next to him.

After several minutes of deep thinking, and a painful silence, Kayla broke it.

"Well, Dr., if it's okay, I have more questions of my own, I think we got sidetracked. The first one is, can he be killed? Like does he really even have a weakness, cause it doesn't seem that way." she said, curious for his reply.

Wellstep, being the smart man that he was, shortly gathered his thoughts before answering.

"Let me put it basic: Yes and yes. Yes, Jobe can be killed, but it is very difficult to do so, one of the only ways to do it would be by instant disintegration, because he would not be very likely to avoid it. If one of the newer criminal's guns were to be used against him, he would have such a lilliputian chance of survival, some would say impossible. Now, he does have several weaknesses. Among the tests that I have done, previously I had told you that mushrooms were a weakness, that is false. I have not yet discovered a physical weakness, and I don't think he has either. But as typical, even for a normal person, there are always the moral right vs. wrong adjudication that would occur when you come across a certain subject. That and any sort of illness; these two are the verified weaknesses. Now, I have not been around you very long since you left, but apparently Kayla here has, so I will ask her. Have you noticed an incline or decline in Jobe's moral values?"

Kayla didn't take long to answer. "Oh, heck yeah. I have noticed, big-time. There were some things that he would've done in the past, and he won't do now, and vice-versa. There are some specific things he wouldn't have done soon after I met him, but now, I think he would consider it." she said, an idea in mind.

Jobe didn't know what she was thinking, but he didn't want to know either.

Wellstep seemed pleased with that answer. "And very well it should be that way. I think you would be worse if it was anything bu. Now, do you know the source of this? I think I do, but I want to see if you can guess. Keep in mind that this could not have come from a family, since he had none." he asked her again.

She thought for a moment. "Mmm... only thing I could think of would be from you, in the short 3 months that you spent with him."

He shook his head. "Not quite. Like I said before, I had not been around him since he left, and I watched him closely to see how he would react to certain things. If what you say is true, then no, the source is from you, Kayla. You have been unknowingly showing him what is right and what isn't. I assume that you live in a relatively moral household, given the reason why you chose to travel with him in the first place. This shows in your character, and Jobe picked up on it and applied to himself. Normally this is done through a father or mother, but obviously Jobe has neither. Now, that isn't to say that he should look up to you like a mother, but that he can learn from you like one. And not to sound disrespectful, but when I first saw you, Kayla, I thought for sure that Jobe had hung around the wrong people, and their immoral values had rubbed off on him, but I see now that this is false. I hope that makes sense." he explained.

Kayla didn't take offense to that comment, after all, Jobe was the one who dragged her along with him. She had never even considered that it would've been her who was changing the way he lived. It never dawned on her that she was the one to unacknowledgedly show him how to behave, up to a certain extent.

"Okay, then. That was surprising. I still have a few more, like why did you even do this? I mean, was there really anything in it for you? Did you get paid for it? How did you do it?" she asked him, all at once.

Wellstep raised a hand. "Not too many at one time, young lady. I did the experiment, as I mentioned before, because it was an old hobby of mine, and it was still in the testing phase. So I needed test subjects. But I do not want to go through that twice, I have told you already.

In a way, there was something for me, considering that I thrive on succeeding, and striving to correct my failures. I am not sure if you read the book, but it mentions several things about that. In fact, that is the title. But no, I was not being funded for anything, although the results of this experiment have attracted great amounts of attention and recognition to my efforts, and I have been rewarded. But that was not the original intent.

As for how I actually transferred the powers over, or more like copied, since the original is still alive and has the powers in full force, it would take a rather long time to explain, and I must leave tonight. But, to make the story shorter, I had these two tubes that I put both Jobe and the special Zoroark into each of them, and I ran the computer program that listed the coordinates of the location for the powers in the DNA. I then stitched it over from the Zoroark into Jobe, and once that was finished, I used the revitalizer to wake him up, while he was still in the tube. Jobe, I am not sure if you remember, but those flames were actually the reviver, not the transfer. The entire process took about 3 days." Wellstep answered.

Kayla seemed like that worked, but she still had more questions. "Okay, that makes sense, I guess. Now, what happened to the Zoroark, he is still alive? Why wasn't he killed off like the other experiments?"

-Doc nodded. "You are just like my youngest sibling was, so many questions. But that is good. Yes, the Zoroark is still alive, but I know not of its whereabouts. And he was not killed because he was a success. I am saying he, but the species was actually a female. She, was a success. What the difference was between a normal Zoroark and her, was that she could retain the form that she had transformed into, and keep it that way for as along as she saw fit. A normal Zoroark drops the illusion if they lose concentration, where she did not have to worry about it. That is why I thought that it would be a perfect match for you."

Jobe was not very surprised, but he still hadn't heard that before. It was then that he realized something. "Whoa whoa whoa... I'm part _female?" _he exclaimed. Kayla burst out in laughter.

"Yes, I suppose you could look at it that way. But not to the point of where you actually develop the female parts of the body. It is by a far majority psychological. In other words, you may be around a group of men, who would like to go for a movie, and they want to see some violent bloody murder, where as you may be more inclined to watch a romantic comedy. There is nothing wrong with this, but just be aware that if you become ostracized because of it, you know why." Wellstep said.

Jobe nodded, and noted that important fact. Kayla was apparently done with questions, but Jobe had some of his own.

"I guess it was at the very beginning that you had mentioned something about girls not being Shapeshifters. Is that even possible, or has it just not happened?" he asked the Dr.

"Well Jobe, in light of who is here tonight, we can safely say that is has not been done, obviously since I am currently the only one who has performed the transfer. Now... for a different matter, if you were to marry Kayla here and have children, and one was to be a boy and inherit your power, I would not be surprised. But if you had a girl and she took it from you, I won't say that it isn't possible, just that it hasn't happened yet. And that example is not to push you two into anything, by the way, just an example." he said, with a twinkle in his eye.

Jobe smiled, then threw his other question at him. "Okay, then. What about transferring my power? Or at least sharing it? Cause I can think of several situations where it would've been nice if Kayla could do it too."

"Mmm... good question. Of all that I know, it is not possible to do so, but then again, I am even not fully competent of what you are capable of. So it very well could be possible to transfer the whole block or even just a fraction, I do not know." he explained. That was not the answer Jobe was looking for.

"Ah... well, maybe I'll try to, but I'm not sure how." he said, nudging Kayla on the arm. "Do you know of anyone who might know how to do it?" he asked.

Wellstep nodded. "Yes, that would be you, Jobe. You tell me if you think it is possible. If you believe hard enough, it probably is possible. I know why you want to do it, but you must be absolutely certain that you trust Kayla with that power. It is a bigger responsibility than either of you may imagine. Even though you already possess it, there are still things that will never be the same. Things that Kayla may not want to give up, but that is up to her and herself only. If you are not capable of the sharing yourself, I do have a theory, but I will refrain from telling you until a later time." he said, writing something else down in the book.

Jobe took note of this, and reminded himself to read that page later. "So, one more. How did your lab burn down?"

Wellstep's expression turned dark. "I lost everything I had, with the exception of this book and a few other crucial items. I am glad that you retrieved this article before anyone had a chance to steal it, and I urge you to keep it. Yes, I will regretfully hand it back to you, it is yours for referential purposes. Please, feel free to read from it at the bedside or whatever it is you two do for entertainment. You will notice that it is wrote in a rather different form; I wrote it to me, so that I may lay on my deathbed one day and remind myself of all that I had achieved, and all that I had not. And my lab had burned down, because I was met with a dastardly being, of which I hope you never come across. He had no name, but they call him, at least around the parts of Nimbasa and Castelia, the Shadow of the Night. He approached my building at approximately 6:27 and 34 second. I was conducting an experiment, the timing needed for was extremely precise. So I paused what I could, and answered the door. There was the creature; about 5 foot tall, but he floated, only about a foot off the ground. I wish I could describe him further, memory surprisingly fails me, but just know that he was very evil-looking. He then raised a single arm against me, which held a paper; one that I will not reveal the contents, but it was one much searched for in the realm of chemistry. I read the title of the page, and tried to take it from him, but he held it away. He then passed right through me; yes, you heard me right, just like a ghost. So he passed through me, then navigated throughout my laboratory, looking for something. I was not able to stop him, nor was I in any shape to try. Apparently he did not find what he came for, so he meandered through my various beakers full of different substances, and apparently he knew which ones could combine with others to combust, and so he did. I tried to put the fire out, but it spread faster than any wildfire, with use of the chemicals involved. The being then handed me the paper, and fled; but he did not flee out of the door, he fled through the floor. Just sank right through the concrete. I was stunned, and I knew it was a Pokemon, but I could not place the name on it." he said, swallowing hard.

That must've rung a bell in Kayla, cause she exclaimed, "Hey! My mom said that she thought she saw something wandering around our backyard, looking for something. Funny thing was that Dante wasn't going crazy as he normally does, almost as if 'Shadow' was not even detectable. She almost pulled a gun out on it, but I told her not to since it looked like a Pokemon, and it probably would only anger it. Dang, I sure am glad she didn't... he wasn't even mad and he burned down the whole lab!"

Wellstep nodded. "Yes. I still do not know what he was searching for, unless he was attempting to steal something from me. But then that raises the question of why he knocked politely on the door with that paper. And why he would come at an hour when everyone was awake..." he said, deep in thought.

Jobe didn't know what he meant by 'everyone' since he knew that himself, Kayla, and probably most other people would be sleeping at that time. But the Doc could be weird with definitions of words, so he tossed it as just a figure of speech. Another thing Wellstep was famous for.

"Well, children, if you have no further questions, I shall retire for the night. Jobe, it was a pleasure seeing you again, and Kayla, it was nice to meet you also. I will give the both of you two last pieces of advice: the most important thing in a relationship is not love, but honesty and trust. And it is apparent here that honesty and trust are not lacking, or else Kayla would not be here, and Jobe would most likely be dead. And the last bit of aid would be to never leave each other's side. If this is to continue, Jobe, you make sure you watch over and entwine Kayla with devotion, and Kayla, you be sure to support Jobe and adulate him to your fullest extent. It is with these last words that I bid you goodbye." he said, walking out the door.

**o-o-o**

"He's weird. He talks weird and he's hard to understand. I guess it's because he's old and stuff, but he needs to update his vocabulary." Kayla commented, noting the way Wellstep delivered a conversation.

Jobe agreed. "Yeah, he can be hard to listen to. But he sure does explain things, as long as you know what the words mean. I guess that adulate means adore or love?"

Kayla shrugged. "I guess. And what about entwine? Does that mean to tie me up or something?"

Jobe laughed. "No, I don't think so. It probably means to love, too. But the real question is whether we follow his advice or not..." he said, leaving it unanswered.

Kayla remained silent for a moment, as did he. Neither was completely sure if they wanted to pursue this further, although both had almost a need for it. She was starting to get tired of his avoidance of the subject, so it would probably be better to end it here and now, for better or worse.

"I.." they both said at the same time. "You first." she said.

Jobe cleared his throat, then began. "Alright, look. I like you and everything, and after hearing his advice, I do think that he is right that we can't be doing all this stuff together and just pretend that we don't like each other. I think since it is the reality, we should accept it instead of trying to cover it up. Life would probably be better that way, don't you think?"

Kayla shrugged. "I was just going to ask if you wanted to kiss me, but sure!" she said, happily hugging him. Jobe was surprised at her response, but he didn't care. It was finally done; they were officially together. Caught in a loving embrace, the couple enjoyed the rest of the day, alone.

**o-o-o**

_Two that cannot exist without each other... _He thought to himself, picking up a bottle labeled "The Essence of Light and Dark". The bottle was an opaque gray, obviously the mix of black and white. He swished it around, and the settled contents flowed throughout the glass container like clouds. He then cautiously flicked the cork off of the mouth of the bottle, and willed the light to stay in, but the dark to come out. The light then slowly faded away, yet the dark remained. He then put it back in the bottle, and loosed his hold on the darkness; only then did it gradually disappear. _Two that cannot exist without each other, can be torn apart so easily... What a shame._

**o-o-o**

The next morning, Jobe woke up, only to find that Kayla was in his bed, with him holding her. His mind was still asleep, so at first he didn't know what was going on. He soon remembered the conversation he and Kayla had with Dr. Wellstep, and his advice. He didn't want to let her go, but he had to use the bathroom, so he quietly removed himself from the embrace, and went to the latrine. It was then that Kayla woke up, noticing that he was no longer there. She heard the bathroom door close, and that gave away the reason. She yawned loudly, and looked at the clock. It read 8:17 AM. Not too early, but late for some. Kayla got out of bed, and like her everyday routine, stretched her lax muscles, then got a cup of water. She heard the door unlock, and Jobe stepped out. He waved then headed for the refrigerator. There was a few food items inside, so he picked several of his favorite berry, the Shuca. He popped one into his mouth, and savored the flavor. Kayla looked at him funny, so he shrugged.

"What?"

"That's not breakfast. You don't like bacon or sausage or any real breakfast food like that?" she asked him.

"I dunno. I haven't tried any of that. This is fine for now." he said, putting another one in his mouth.

"Whatever. I'm going to have me a nutritious breakfast." she said, pulling out some Grumpig bacon. It was cold, but they didn't have a stove to heat it up, just a microwave. She put it in the machine, and set it for 20 seconds. Soon, the deep-fried meat became hot and crispy. She pulled it out, and chewed off a piece.

"See? That's real food." she said, although wishing that it was fresh.

Jobe shrugged, enjoying his berries.

**o-o-o**

Not long after they finished breakfast, there was a knock on the door. That was strange, since no one should be allowed to just knock on the door like that, unless it was Dr. Wellstep again.

"Just a minute!" Jobe yelled. "Quick, Kayla! Change into something decent in case it's Dr. Wellstep again!" he said, cause she was still in her tank top and short shorts. Kayla frantically dug around in the drawer for something to wear.

"Hurry up! I've got to let them in!" he urged.

"I'm hurrying!" she said, ripping her clothes off.

Jobe groaned and covered his eyes. "Not out here! Get in the bathroom!" he said, pointing to the lavatory.

"Oh, right, sorry." she said, moving into the bathroom. He shut the door, because she didn't.

Jobe cleared his throat, then calmly asked, "Who is it?"

"Package delivery for, Payton comma Kayla?" the anonymous caller said.

"Oh." Jobe replied, opening the door. It was a small box, about the size of a shoe box. He had to sign for it, but the man wouldn't let him.

"No, sorry. Mrs. Payton has to sign it. Security measures, I'm sure you can understand." the man said.

"Fine, you're just going to have to wait a minute. She's in the bathroom... HURRY UP KAYLA!" he yelled.

"I'M COMING!" she said, opening the door. She was now dressed in a flamboyant, but not too sexy, light blue blouse and tight jeans. "Who is it? Oh, they came!" she said, snatching the box away from Jobe.

"You have to sign for it." the guy said, handing her a touch tablet. She scribbled her name on it, and the man shrugged, then left. But not before whispering something to Jobe.

"You lucky ass."

Jobe stuck his tongue out, then quickly shut the door. _Your darn right I'm a lucky ass. _He thought to himself, smiling. _But not that lucky._

Kayla had already opened the box up, which expectedly held both of their swimsuits. His was laying on the edge of the bed, but she didn't let him see hers.

"Hold on! I'm gonna go change into it. Change into yours too." she said, heading off to the bathroom again.

Jobe looked at the pair of shorts, they were a little small but they would do. He stripped then put them on. They were a navy blue with streaks of white and a lighter shade of blue. They also had bits of yellow spread out on them. After he found them to be suitable, he heard the door unlock, and Kayla stepped out.

"Okay, for this instance only, I'll let you look without me slapping you." she said, wearing the two-piece that she had ordered. Jobe didn't want to seem too anxious, but he was. He checked her over, from head to toe, then toe to head again. The colors matched his, with the same blue and white streaks.

"It's a little small..." she said, trying to adjust her top.

Jobe's forehead started the break in sweat."Mine is too. But it probably affects you more than me..." he said.

"Yeah. So, how does it look?" she said, posing.

Jobe felt his mouth go dry. He remembered the last time he fudged a compliment up, and he didn't want to repeat that. "It looks great. It looks great on you." he said, relieved it was over.

"Yours does too, but you need to take your shirt off." she said, helping him get out of it. Kayla couldn't help but marvel, seeing his abs and peritoneum. Jobe also couldn't help but gape at her legs and chest, too.

"There. You said that there was nothing to do today? So let's go to the Bay and break in the new suits." she said, putting an over shirt and a skirt on. Jobe put his shirt back on, grabbed a Shuca berry, then headed out the door.

**o-o-o**

It was a short walk to the beach, but it was enjoyed by them holding hands the whole way. When they got close, Jobe noticed that the Shack was there with great disdain. Kayla had no better thoughts of it either. He just hoped that the same guy who was bothering Kayla the other day wasn't working there anymore. Actually, he hoped that he wasn't there, period. Kayla led him over to an empty spot on the bright white sand, and set down 2 towels that she stole from the hotel. Kayla then sat on one while he laid down on the other.

"Such a nice day, isn't it?" she said, trying to strike up conversation. That was one thing that was still hard to invoke, even though there was plenty to talk about, Jobe just wasn't a big verbalizer.

"Huh? Oh yeah, it is." he said, being brought up from his thoughts.

She gave him a sidewards look. "It's kinda hot, though."

"Yeah, I guess it is. That's what you get for coming to the beach in the middle of the day." he said.

"Well... let's go cool off, then." she said, pointing over to the water.

Jobe bit his lip. "Umm, no thanks. I told you that I didn't want to go in the water."

"Oh, come on. You don't have to go in real deep. Just like up to your neck. C'mon!" she said, pulling him up.

"Aww..." Jobe replied, reluctantly heading towards the Bay.

As they got closer, Jobe looked back, and thought he saw Mr. Burly at the Shack again. He hoped that it was someone else, since that would be where they were going to eat lunch, and he didn't want to have to knock him out again. Suddenly, Jobe felt his feet hit water. He looked down, and saw that he was already at the shore. The cold water was calmly washing up and down the sand, covering his feet to the ankle, only to fall back again. They both stood there for a second, then Kayla pulled him out deeper in the binary compound.

"C'mon, 'water' you waiting for?" she said, giggling.

Jobe chuckled. "That was so cheap. I know you can do better than that."

She thought for a minute. "No, I don't think I can. Enjoy my cheap jokes." she said. They were in the Bay about waist-deep now. The water was cold; Jobe was starting to shiver, even in the hot, humid weather. The deeper they got, the colder it was.

Now they were shoulder-deep, at least to Jobe. To Kayla that was neck-deep. They couldn't go any further that that, unless they wanted to swim. He was already shivering, and his lips were starting to turn blue.

She noticed this. "Aww, is Jobey cold? Here, I'll keep you warm." she said, cuddling up to him. Jobe then put his frost-bitten arms around her, and brought her closer in. He didn't detect any amount of frigidness in her at all.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked her in surprise.

"No, I'm used to this. I go hunting virtually all winter long. You begin to build up a resistance to it." she said.

Jobe shrugged, and soon after, the cold wind from the air made his teeth start to chatter. He made an attempt to stop it, but it was hard without gnawing them together.

"Damn this temperature." He cursed aloud.

She looked at him curiously, he hadn't use language like that before. Then, a devious idea came to Kayla's mind. A devilish grin came to her face as she stated, "Great. Now your teeth are chattering. But, you're in luck, I know of a very good way to eliminate that…"

"What is it?" he replied with a question.

Kayla moved so that she was in front of him, and then embraced him again, except now she was face-to-face with Jobe. She looked at him in the eyes, then told him, "This." Before her lips pounced upon hers.

This kiss was unlike the other, mostly in that she had a certain amount of his consent this time; also, the bitter alcohol did not taint his mouth. It was also much more passionate, so as to leave a deep impression on his mind, and his lips.

He didn't object to it at all, in fact, it almost seemed, to her, like he was drunk again. She flashed her eyes open to see his reaction, while still in the kiss, but he was caught in the moment, his eyes closed shut.

She continued with the grazing on his face, only to end it a minute later, so they both could breathe again.

Jobe did not know what to say. His mind was hopelessly blank. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before. "Uh… Um… Uh… It was enjoyable?" he babbled.

She nodded, her chest still heaving. "Yeah, it was. Uh… Good job."

"I... I didn't even do anything." he said.

"You did more than you think you did." she said sweetly, hugging him again.

"I did? Oh, I guess I did... what did I do again?"

She smiled. "You made me feel loved. I haven't felt that from anybody other than my parents for a long time."

"Ah..." was his reply.

There was a short silence, with them in each other's arms, not caring about anything else as the waves pulsed back and forth around them.

"Sooo... do you feel cold anymore?" she asked him.

Indeed, Jobe did not. "Funny thing is, no, I don't. I won't forget that technique next time I get cold again." he said, holding her tightly.

She smiled devilishly at him again, then replied. "Neither will I."

**o-o-o**

They remained in the water for a while longer, before Jobe started to get hungry for lunch. They headed back, breaking away from each other's arms when they got closer to the shore, but still holding hands. By the time they got to the snack bar at the Shack, both of them were already dry.

**o-o-o**

"Yeah, give me a hamburger with lettuce and onions." Jobe ordered.

"And I'll have two hot dogs with mustard." she said.

The barkeep sighed, and started to cook the food.

Jobe then remembered something. "Oh, bartender! I almost forgot our beverage. Get me that bottle right there..." he said, pointing to a bottle of Chaènalleã Armòirae. Kayla put his arm down.

"You can't drink that stuff! Remember what happened last time? Not to mention, it's bad for you and you don't need it." she whispered in Jobe's ear, while telling the barman just to get 2 lemonades. The man sighed again and put 2 glasses of citrus drink on the bar, then went back to cooking.

"Hey hey, I can drink what I want. That stuff was goooood..." he responded.

Kayla shook her head. "You're not getting any." she said, before the guy dropped two plates, containing a hamburger and two hot dogs, right in front of them.

"Now dig in." she said, picking up a dog and taking a bite out of it.

Jobe raised his burger to his mouth, and took a chomp out of. It wasn't that good, to be truthful, but it was food and he was hungry. He finished it in no time, then downed his lemonade to wash down the bitter taste. She hadn't even finished one of her hot dogs, and he was already done.

"Slowpoke." he said, prodding a finger into her stomach.

"Hrrfhh!" she said with a mouth full of wiener. Kayla tried to poke him back.

Jobe caught her arm before it reached him. "Now don't get me started. Finish your lunch so we can go." he said, letting go of her arm.

It took her about 5 minutes, which seemed like hours to Jobe, compared to how fast he ate his. Kayla just finished the last of her lemonade. She set the glass down, licked her lips, then paid the guy.

She then gave Jobe an alluring smile. "Well... how about going back to the hotel for 'dessert'?"

The barman looked at the two of them suspectingly, then sighed and went back to his chore of cleaning the dishes.

Jobe's heart skipped a beat. "Uhh... why don't we stay here? I mean, like you said, it's so nice outside..." he said, trying to get out of that situation.

The smile faded from Kayla's face. "Fine."

**o-o-o**

They remained at the beach, going into the surf for a while, then returning to their special spot. They kept up that routine for the rest of the day, until it got dark.

"Let's get back to the hotel. It's like 9 PM already." Kayla said, rolling up the towels, after shaking the sand off of them.

Jobe was putting his shirt on. "Yeah, I'm getting tired too." He yawned.

As they finished packing up, one thing that neither of them noticed, was a pair of red eyes, watching their every move.

**o-o-o**

After returning to the hotel, Kayla tossed the towels in a hamper, then they both headed up to the room.

"I'm gonna go take a bath now, but I've got an even better idea. Why don't you get in the jacuzzi with me?" Kayla suggested after they got up the room.

Jobe shook his head. "No way. Look, I'm not doing anything like that before I get married, understand?" He wanted to make this point very clear.

"Dr. Wellstep sure did teach you lots about life, didn't he? Y'know, with the Combees and the Pidgeys and stuff?" she said, laughing. "No, we'll still be in our swimsuits. It's just the get the salt water off."

"Oh... well then, sure, I guess..." he said, heading into the bathroom to cut the water on. He then took his shirt off again, while she took off her skirt and overshirt. Kayla dipped a toe in, then shook her head.

"No no, the water needs to be much hotter. Like this..." she said, bumping him out of the way, then turning the hot water on full blast.

"Isn't that hot enough to scald somebody?" he said, noting the amount of steam that was rising from the tub.

She nodded. "Yeah, it probably could." She then gave him a smile, which broke into a laugh when she saw his expression. "Fine, we'll let it cool a little." She said, turning the cold water on.

"Yeah, cause I didn't want to be boiled tonight."

_Oh, you'll be plenty warm, don't you worry... _She thought to herself.

Kayla let it fill up, then activated the jets.

"Oops! Almost forgot..." she said, grabbing some soap. "What's a jacuzzi without bubbles!" and poured half of the bottle in the tub.

That was a big bottle of soap, too. "Uhh, I think you're only supposed to put in like a tablespoon..." he said, reading the label.

"Pshaw! That'll only make tiny little bubbles for sissies. _And you're not a sissy, are you, Jobe?_" she said, mocking him.

"Aha! You wish. I'm only saying that you're cleaning the mess up when this is all done." he said, slowly stepping into the hot tub.

Kayla got in with him, and it wasn't a huge tub, but not as snug as the cave that they lived in a couple days ago.

"Man, I am so glad we don't live in that thing anymore..." Jobe thought aloud.

"Huh? What're you talking about?" she asked him, obviously confused.

"Oh, I was just thinking of the cave that we slept in a couple days ago." he replied.

She nodded. "And that doesn't bother you? Yet it does now?"

"What, sleeping together? No, because, I mean, it wasn't like we actually _slept _together, y'know? We just... had to rest in the same bed." he said, defending his position on the subject.

"Yeah, but if you told somebody that without giving them more details, then they would assume that you actually did." she argued.

He looked over into her light blue eyes. "Why would I tell anybody? I didn't even tell Wellstep. I don't trust him with that. He barely approves of us now."

"Dr. Wellstep doesn't have to approve. He doesn't control you. He's not your father. See, I do have to listen to my parents to a certain extent, but you have absolute control of your life. You can do what you want, when you want." she said.

He shook his head. "No. Not true. I have to listen to you."

She gave him a sweet smile. "Well, yeah you do. But I mean that you could..." she took a deep breath. _As much as I hate to say it... _"leave me and go on your own path, where you live however you want. I mean, if you wanted to, you could control the whole region of Unova. But you don't want to. And I think that is one reason why I like you so much. Your self-control."

_She admitted it again. She really does like me... _"Exactly, I don't want to. As much as possible, I want to live a normal life. Sure, that little bit of control is nice to have, but I've never known anything but that. And I will never know what it is like to have a father or mother. Or siblings, for that matter..." Jobe said, his eyes starting to tear up.

Kayla's were getting wet too. _That's true... _"Well... not to push you into doing anything, but you know, you could have a father and mother-in-law..." she said, planting the idea of a spousal relationship in his mind.

Jobe was dumbfounded. He didn't know how to respond to that. _I really have got to talk to a guy about responding to girls... _Jobe simply nodded in response, not wanting to give her any false hope.

Kayla waited for a verbal response, but didn't receive any. Not that it was expected, since it was a rather touchy subject, but it would've abated her to know what he thought about it. She closed her eyes and tucked the conversation away for later, and enjoyed the warm water surrounding her body. There were two jets on her left side, one massaging her thigh and the other her kidney-area. They were very relaxing, even though she wasn't very stressed to begin with. Her eyes suddenly flashed open, as she felt something crawl on her back.

"Aiiiek!" she screamed, swatting at whatever it was. Jobe recoiled, he had put his hand on her shoulder to massage it, and she must've been in such a daze that she didn't notice.

"What? It's just me." he said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that scared me. I thought it was a Joltik or something creeping up on me."

Jobe rose an eyebrow. "I seriously doubt that really scared you. If you mean scared, you mean like the time I woke you up in the middle of your naked nap?" he teased.

"That was different. And you still ought to try that sometime. It feels completely different than being clothed. Especially when you're sleeping together." she said.

"Now look, I told you I wasn't going to- did you say together?" he stopped short.

She nodded. "Yes I did. Only that one time, when you woke up and I was in your bed. That was the only time. Trust me."

He gave her a sidewards glance. "I'm not sure I can anymore. Not when you do something like that." he said, shaking his head.

"You still had clothes on. It was really hot in that hotel, okay? They must've turned the heat up in the middle of the night. I didn't want you to know, so before you woke up, I made sure to change into clothes again. Yes, it's probably creepy to you now, but that _will_ change." she said seductively.

"Sure, but I already told you, I won't have any of that until later. Real later." he firmly stated, as he inhaled the steam from the air.

"You say that, and you do have a certain amount of control," she began, getting closer to him "but even a Shapeshifter would fall to something like that eventually. Lucky for you, that's not my interest either, I'm just playing with you." she finished, giving him a playful shove, and then turning his head towards hers. She leaned in, and planted a quick smooch on his lips.

"You're not getting cold, are you?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Jobe shrugged, he felt a little light headed. "Cold?"

"Yeah, you forgot already? This'll remind you..." she said, turning his head putting her lips to his again, except this time, it was more intense.

This time, it was more enchanting; more enticing than before. Jobe didn't just sit back and let her take over; he pushed his own osculation on her, which she happily accepted.

Kayla reciprocated the motion with her own caress, hers was more experienced than his, but the meaning was the same. It was just the two of them, caught in the moment of adoration that surrounded them. Bliss… In the moment.

**o-o-o**

_Look at those humans. Endeavoring in their pursuits of a mate, and they have engaged in the first step. Hmm... looks like they are partaking in it several times. _He thought to himself, watching Jobe and Kayla make out through his special ability to see through walls. He nodded to the other character, who motioned back.

"Time?" one of them asked the other.

"Not quite, almost. The humans are embracing each other lovingly, and it disgusts me. I cannot work like this, it will have to wait until they are done. I can barely stand to watch. They cannot continue this forever, though, and when they stop, that is when the move shall be made. But before they finish, we can advance our position, so that we are ready before they are."

Darkrai motioned to the door of the hotel, and ZoRoark obeyed, and moved forward towards it. They weren't very far, and when they got to it, luckily there was no one there, Darkrai didn't feel like incapacitating anyone right now. Once the automatic doors allowed them inside, there was a lady standing at the counter, who saw the duo and called for the manager. Darkrai warningly pointed at her, then went with ZoRoark and quickly fled deeper into the building before the manager got out to the lobby.

After describing them, the manager exclaimed. "Are you crazy? I don't even know who they were, but they sound like they were badass. I'm not going after them, take that gun there and you go." he said, waving her off.

The lady grabbed a phone, and started to dial.

**o-o-o**

"Good thing human no chase. We kill human if do." Roark said, with her unintellectual speech.

Darkrai agreed. "Yes, it would have been horrible if we would have to spill blood tonight, but I'm afraid it is inevitable with the prey we have. He is known to fight back."

And with that, the two arrived in front of Room 35, which held two of their unsuspecting human targets.

**o-o-o**

Jobe and Kayla continued with their romantic moment, not noticing, or caring about anything around them, including the 4-foot high mound of bubbles that had grown while they had their eyes closed. In fact, they were so caught up in the second, that Kayla had suddenly submerged underwater, and only after that, did they stop.

She laughed as she wiped the water off of her eyes. She started to feel dizzy after that, her mind was in a fog. _Dang! That was hot. _"How long were we at it?" She asked him, but a decent guess had it at least 5 minutes.

Jobe was no better, he couldn't think straight either. "I suppose it was a bit of time." He smiled. There was lip rouge all over his face, and his lips felt numb.

"Whoa, Kayla look! I told you that you put too much soap in here!" he exclaimed, pointing at the cave of bubbles that they were in. It seemed that their motions had popped all the ones that they touched, and the suds just grew around them.

"Oh well, now we know for sure no one saw us." she stated, wringing her hair out.

He raised an eyebrow. "The door's closed, there are no windows, so how could anyone have seen us?" he questioned, chuckling.

She shrugged. "I dunno. It's kinda cool to be surrounded by all these bubbles, think about it. We're in another little world..." she said.

Jobe looked confused. "Okay, you're starting to get loopy. C'mon, let's get out..." he said, right as heard the sound of a door unlocking. Jobe froze, unsure if that was a neighbor or their own door; it sounded too close to be a neighbors.

Kayla stopped too, also uncertain of who could've done that, since it was like 10 at night, no one should be coming in at that time. Jobe managed to get out of the tub without slipping, and quickly dried off, then put his shirt back on. He was going to find out who exactly was barging into their room at this hour.

**o-o-o**

Darkrai and Roark had made it into Jobe and Kayla's room, after a careful manipulation of the door lock. They couldn't escape detection; there was an audible click after they shut the door. _But they should still be... distracted right now. _Darkrai assumed.

"Now, Roark, we must wait here until they finish, if ever, but we need to keep them in there. So, listen out for any sign of them opening the door, and be ready." Darkrai whispered to Roark, who gave a quick nod in confirmation.

Jobe helped Kayla out of the tub, and while she dried off, he tried to look through the lock of the door to see who was out there, but he couldn't see anyone.

"I don't see anyone, but I'm not taking that for granted. Stay here, and I'll go see who this person is." he whispered to her.

Roark gave a nod to Darkrai, and that was the signal.

Right as Jobe was about open the door, it opened for him. He looked up, to see ZoRoark and another dark being, one that floated, he was about 5 foot tall, and seemingly matched Wellstep's description fairly well.

"Uhh... who're you guys? I mean, I know who you are, Roark. I guess it's good to see you again. How and what are y'all doing here?" Jobe asked, hoping they could understand him. Needless to say, they could.

"Shut up, _human. _You will only talk when I address you. You have no right to ask why we have come here, but I shall tell you regardless. Roark here has come for you, I believe to... _repay _an old debt. And I, Darkrai, have arrived for this female here, her name is Kayla, if I am not mistaken?" Darkrai said, pointing to Kayla.

"Me? What do you want with me?" she asked, having no clue what the dark duo was asking about.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Darkrai boomed, hurling a ball of shadow at her. She took the hit and fell, unconscious. Jobe's rage just went up a notch.

"Kayla!" Jobe said, kneeling down next to her, checking to make sure she was okay. She seemed to be sleeping, there was no mark on her from the orb at all.

Jobe slowly stood up. "I don't give a crap about who you are! Get the hell out or I'll unleash it on you!" he screamed.

Darkrai didn't even flinch. "Did you not hear me? I said silence, or you shall end up worse than her. And I _know _how much that hit just hurt you. I can _feel _it. I can _feel _your pain, it is mixed by anger and a desire for revenge. So... why do you hesitate? Oh, I see. Trying to give us a second chance. Well, Jobe, I know perfectly well who you are, and what you are capable of. But tell me... do you?" Darkrai said, as Roark pounced on Jobe.

As Jobe wrestled with Roark for domination, Darkrai floated over to Kayla's unconscious body, and picked her up by the neck, then took her out of the bathroom and laid her down on the bed. _Like I said earlier... I do not want innocent blood spilled._ Darkrai decided to wait outside of the bathroom, to see if Roark could finish the job without him.

They were caught in a violent tangle, Roark with her sharp claws and Jobe with his brute fists. He could change any time, but he wanted to get Roark off of him so he could concentrate more. His mind was still clouded with thoughts of his and Kayla's make-out session, so it was hard enough to think without someone trying to break your neck. Jobe finally got a strong grasp on Roark's leg, which he used to throw her into the tub. She landed with a splash, and the bubbles flew everywhere. Jobe took this time to take a deep breath, and calm his mind. By that time, Roark was already back up. This time, Jobe took the offensive, but it was hard to get a good hold on her since he was almost twice as tall as Roark. She had no problem getting Jobe, however. With use of its claws, she kept Jobe on the defensive, by forcing him to jump backwards, until his back touched a wall. Roark jumped up, and about slashed Jobe's neck off, but he transformed into stone at the last second, which Roark's claws bounce harmlessly off of. Actually, it hurt Roark more than Jobe, as she had now broken the tips of two of her talons. Jobe smiled and changed back into his human form, but it seemed to only make Roark angrier.

"Why are you after me? What did I ever do to you? If it's about the day at your trailer I'll gladly pay for it." Jobe bargained.

Roark snickered. "Wish it was trailer. Wish it was easy. Pain and hurt. That payback."

Jobe was confused by its meaning, but his guess that he had somehow hurt Roark, and she was here for revenge. "Then why is Darkrai here?"

"Darkrai smart. Good plan. He kill Kayla, hurt you. Make you surrender. Then take you see boss. Boss not like you, boss mad at you. Boss make you our slave." Roark replied. That burned Jobe up on the inside. He parried Roark's attacks with renewed vigor, in his perhaps futile attempt to protect Kayla.

After fighting with Roark for several more minute, and neither of them gaining so much as a scratch on each other, his rage and confidence hit the peak. "Remember when I said I was going to unleash hell on you? Well, here it is." he said, willing his body to change into very strange robotic Pokemon, one called Genesect.

He couldn't talk in this new form, but he now felt armored; probably because he was. Roark's claws served no purpose now. She tried to attack Jobe with kicks, but Jobe's new metal armor was too tough. He grabbed Roark's leg, and threw her against the wall. It left a formidable dent, but Roark wasn't finished. She jumped on top of Jobe, desperately trying to break into the metal. Jobe just tilted his head back and slammed Roark into the wall again, and she busted through it this time. Roark didn't get up, too fatigued to move. Jobe changed back, smiled, then cautiously exited out of the bathroom.

Darkrai was waiting outside of the latrine with Kayla's asleep body. He could hear the fighting going inside, he heard crashes, splashes, and general sounds of pain. He couldn't help but assume that it was Jobe who had fallen at the last big smash, one that sounded like the wall broke down. Darkrai assumed that Roark would walk out at any time, with Jobe's body in its claws. What he saw was the opposite.

He turned around to see Jobe with a confident smile on his face, ready to fight off Darkrai now. Darkrai shook his head, and pulled something out from his endless shadowy cloak.

As was Darkrai's specialty, he started to mess with Jobe's mind. "I know that this is one of your favorites, the Chaènalleã Armòirae. Is that not true? I also know that you like these Shuca berries, is that not also true? Two things that you like. Now what if they were taken away..." he said, smashing the bottle and crushing the berries. The liquor and the berry remains splattered all over the carpet.

"And now that something you like has been taken away... how about something you _love?_" he said, moving over towards Kayla's head. Jobe's eyes went wide, he couldn't imagine what Darkrai could do that would kill her, but he didn't want to find out.

"You lay a hand on her-" Jobe warned. Darkrai's hand moved over her face, about an inch away from touching it.

"I'm serious!" Jobe threatened. Darkrai moved his hand even closer, but still not quite touching.

"That's it!" he yelled, jumping up to land on Darkrai, but an unseen force stopped him, midair. Darkrai had put his arm up, and froze Jobe with a shadowy force in the middle of his jump.

Darkrai shook his head. "I see how you try to protect the ones you love. But it does absolutely no good, not when there is someone like me to stop you in your valiant efforts, only to find that you fall short. Only to find, that you failed, and you couldn't do it. How does that make you feel, Jobe? Hurt? Depressed?" Darkrai taunted.

"I feel nothing! I have not and will not fail! Nothing comes between me and Kayla!" he screamed, trying to break free, but it wasn't happening.

"You are very dense. I have been trying to communicate to you through metaphors, and apparently it does not go through. I will not put it in layman's terms: Jobe, you lost. I won. Kayla will die, you will witness it, and feel the loss. I will hold you here, as you watch her suffer through and perish. You will then feel the overwhelming sense of defeat- one that you previously never experienced. And, you may try to commit suicide to stop to feeling, but no. I will not allow it, since I am now in charge, and decide what you can and cannot do. You are no longer a free man, as if you were to begin with. Once Roark wakes up, I will terminate Kayla's short life... such a shame, too. She had such a bright future together with you... I could see it..." Darkrai paused, reliving the dream that he had foreseen. "And after that, you will come with me to my humble abode, and then you shall truly see what it is like to suffer. If you thought going through Dr. Wellstep's little 'flames' was painful, you have not seen where I live. Oh, what is that I hear? It cannot be... Roark? Is that you waking up?"

**_-o-o-o-_**

**I am_ so_ evil. Yah, I brought him back-in-black. Literally. This is how he is in TRROD. And so, this dynamic chapter comes to a close. Now, give me those well-deserved reviews. Do you think Kayla should die? Or... who says she will? And if not, who's going to stop Darkrai? Oh, I guess that's what Chapter 13 would be for...**

**Thanks again to Infinity for writing the two-and-a-half makeout scenes. **


	13. Departure

**A/N: ****I think that starting with this chapter, I shall add a theme song according to each main subject in the chapter, so long as I can find one. This song is "In The End" by Linkin Park. Maybe you want to listen to it while reading...**

**And, see if you can find out who it is referencing to...**

**WARNING:**

**Ages 15+. Contains intimate act reference.**

**RECAP:**

**Really? Well, fine. To make a long chapter short, Jobe woke up with a nightmare, she consoled him, they were watching TV when they saw Dr. Wellstep on the program. So they went to the station, and had a very interesting conversation with him. After the talk, J&K finally settled things in their relationship; they decided to accept it and formally get together. Soon after, they get their swimsuits in the mail, and decide to head out into the Bay. They share a passionate kiss, then head for lunch. Both of them remain in the Bay until dark, and head back to the hotel, where they get into the hot tub, and once again, enjoy in more desirous making-out. In the meantime, a dastardly duo were enacting a plan... Needless to say, while the couple was distracted with their osculations, Darkrai and Roark managed to sneak into their hotel room, and attack Jobe. Darkrai K'Od Kayla, while Jobe took out Roark. Jobe then tried to save her, but Darkrai stopped him. Right as Roark was about to wake up...**

**o-o-o**

"Roark, is that you?" Darkrai said, taunting Jobe.

Jobe was still floating 3 feet above the ground, caught in motion by Darkrai. He heard a rustle, sounding like it came from the bathroom. _Time just ran out... _

Roark stepped out, clutching her head. She noticed Jobe flying in the air, with Darkrai holding him there. She then saw Kayla laying on the bed, and she knew that the plan had worked.

"Why I take pain. You get easy." she complained to Darkrai.

He scoffed at her whining. "You will get over it. Now... your next assignment, even though you failed your last one, is to end her life."

Roark nodded. She moved over next to the bed, right beside Kayla's head.

"Right. Kill Kayla... now... how do?" she asked, unsure of how to complete the action.

Darkrai rolled his eyes. "You cannot figure this out on your own? Jobe, I am sorry, but Roark here cannot seem to complete his third mission without assistance. I apologize for the inconvenience." he said sarcastically.

After Jobe heard that, he was confused. "He? Roark is female."

Darkrai stopped, rather surprised by that revelation. "Is that so? Well, then _she _cannot complete her mission." he said, not apologizing to Roark. "Now then, you femme fox, I command you to slay her. Do you know what slay means? Fine, just in case you do not, do this: take this bottle here. Fill it with water, and some of those crushed coffee beans over on the counter top there." he says, and Roark does so. Darkrai pulls a syringe out of hammerspace, and carefully drips a drop of the suspicious liquid into the bottle. He swishes it around, then smiles.

"Good..." he says evilly, satisfied with the concoction.

"Might I ask, what is that?" Jobe inquired.

Darkrai shook his head. "No you may not. But I shall tell you anyhow, since it is your loss in the end. This small amount of elixir is a poison; namely, a highly deadly neurotoxin. This will kill a human in about 6 hours. It mainly consists of water, plus the small amount of a secret ingredient, of which I shall not reveal to you."

Jobe sighed, his time was running out. "And the coffee?"

"Oh, well that. Just for flavor. Now, Roark, I want you to hold her mouth open for me." Darkrai said, motioning.

He shook the bottle a little more, and right as Roark pried Kayla's mouth open, there was a knock on the door.

Darkrai stopped, hearing the beckoning call.

The caller knocked again, this time more vigorously. "This is the Undella Police! If you do not open the door in 30 seconds we will break it down!"

Darkrai didn't even seem to budge. He thought up a solution to this query in no time. "Roark, are you able to carry the girl? If so, take her into the bathroom, but do not do anything until I say. Go!" he said, watching Roark strain to lift Kayla into the lavatory. "Now, Jobe. Here comes the fun part. I am going to let you down, and you will answer the door, and handle the officials. And I will watch you every second, so if you decide to break away and flee, you will be stopped. The same fate will come across you if you try to attack, since that is all that you will do, is try. Now answer!"

Jobe suddenly felt the force that held him up stop, and he fell to the floor on his stomach. It took his breath away for a second, and he slowly stood up. Darkrai watched him closely, and as another knock came upon the door, getting more urgent as time passed. "10 seconds..."

Darkrai pointed to the door, and Jobe cautiously walked over to the door and opened it, trying to hatch a plan.

"Y-yes officers?" he asked. Jobe hoped that they wouldn't recognize him; it would just make the situation worse.

There was four policemen standing, two with sub-machine guns. One of the unarmed ones replied, "We have received reports of screaming, followed by splashes and crashes. Are you, umm... 'okay' in there?" he asked, noting how sweaty and beat up Jobe looked.

Jobe got his meaning, he only wished it was that simple. "Uhh, yeah, we're fine. That's all that's going on, I guess we got out of hand. We'll quiet down." he lied, hoping that he was good at it.

He nodded. "Very well. I am assuming you are of age, you look like it. I'll pass you off this time. Be careful in there, we'll be awaiting another call." the same cop said. They all started to walk away, but one of the ones with the gun stopped and turned around, giving Jobe a weird look.

"Hey... hey haven't I seen you somewhere? Aren't you a wanted man? What's that guy's name... uhh... Jacob? I forgot what his last name was..." he said, stopping Jobe from shutting the door. Jobe started to break a sweat.

"Uhh... no idea who you're talking about. Well, I got to 'get back', if you know what I mean..." Though Jobe didn't really mean it, yet.

The armed policeman nodded. "Right, sorry. Have fun!" he said, catching up to the others. Jobe's shuddered, then shut the door.

Darkrai was still watching him the entire time, occasionally rolling his eyes at Jobe's responses.

"I suppose you did fine. So long as they will not interrupt us again." he said, moving over to the bathroom to check on Roark. It hit Jobe then, that he noticed that Darkrai didn't hold him down again; now it was the time. Now or never.

Jobe quickly shifted form, to turn himself invisible. He was still there, but no one could see him. He reached out, and grabbed both of Darkrai's arms from behind him.

Darkrai didn't seem surprised. "I knew you were planning such a trick. Roark, would you come out here and take care of this delinquent?" he commanded. Roark didn't respond.

"Roark, be a charm and do as your master says." he said again, met with the same response. Now starting to get curious, as was Jobe, they heard a small rustle, and the door closed in front of them. Neither of them attempted to open it, Darkrai couldn't and Jobe did not want to release him. Darkrai was not attempting to escape, which surprised Jobe.

"You're not going to try to break free?" Jobe's voice rang, although no one could see him.

"Why? You cannot hold both me and Roark, and once she refrains from ignoring my commands, you will have no choice but to release me, or I will force you to." he said, although it confused Jobe with his meaning.

Jobe shrugged, but once again, no one noticed. "If that's what you claim. Don't forget who I am... you may think I can't take you both, but I've got you for now."

Darkrai stiffened, he seemed to take offense with that comment. "Is that so?" he said sharply. "Very well, I was trying to give you a sliver of hope, but now I see that you are not worthy of such a privilege. Now, submit to me once again, or I shall force you!" he said, and suddenly disappeared.

Darkrai had pulled off a vanishing act, but Jobe knew that he was still there... somewhere...

"_Cannot ssssee me, Jobe? Doesssss that trouble you? You cannot fight an enemy you cannot ssssseeeeee..." _Darkrai's voice rang, except now it had a raspy slither to it, making it sound almost like a snake.

"Alright now, let's take this fair. I'll become visible, and so do you..." Jobe said, trying to fight a just fight. He knew very well Kayla had zero chance of survival if he couldn't win, and he couldn't win with Darkrai invisible like that. He made his body distinguishable, but Darkrai didn't.

"_Ha! If you believe that I ssssshall fall for that game, you are dead erroneousssss..." _the voice trailed off again. Jobe felt a tap on his left shoulder, then a solid punch hit his right cheek. It knocked Jobe on the ground, stunned.

_Dang it! That hurt... _He thought to himself, rubbing the spot where he got hit. Jobe shook his head, wearing off the pain, and stood up, facing the exit door. "Alright then, I can play this way..." he said, but he wasn't entirely sure. He would have little chance to even block Darkrai's attacks, much less fight back. He put his hands up, trying to feel for him, but he couldn't sense the opposing force anywhere near him.

"_Hello? Looking for me?" _Darkrai's voice went off again. Before Jobe had time to react, another fist struck him, smack in the face.

That one hit Jobe hard. He landed on his back, nose bleeding. "Ugh!" he grunted, standing back up. He wiped his nose on his shirt, leaving red streaks all over his sleeve. He tried to guess where Darkrai was, and swung his fist into the open air, but caught nothing. He launched a kick behind him, but hit nothing but space. Jobe tried to look in front of him, for a reflection of light or anything, but what he didn't find wasn't as interesting as what he did:

Kayla must've woken up, heard the fight, and was quietly trying to sneak over (presumably) behind Darkrai. Of course, neither of them could see him, so she was totally guessing.

Luckily, he was in front of Jobe, because he took another hit to his face. He didn't fall down this time, seeing her awake and alive reinvigorated him with strength. He pretended to look around for Darkrai, to cover her tracks. Darkrai took advantage of this, and fired a small shadowy ball at his back. Now that, Kayla saw clearly. She now knew where Darkrai was. She grabbed a blanket, and rolled it so it looked like a rope. Kayla got even closer to where she thought Darkrai was. Jobe apparently knew her plan, because he slowly got up, further distracting her target. She didn't know if Darkrai was still there, so she waited for another sign. Jobe got back up, and faced her. He tried not to change his expression, but it was hard. They were about 4 feet apart, perfect distance for Darkrai to be in between them.

"_Now, fool. Do you believe in my power? Even though you are more than a human, you do not usssse your power. This impedessss me, why do you not utilizzzzze it more? At leassssst you would've had a chanccccce earlier, but now there isssss none. Faccccee it onccccee again: You lossst."_

Jobe felt a fiery rage building inside, and he shouted, almost to Kayla's face, which startled her, "No, I'm not dead yet, and neither is she!" he said, pointing at Kayla, who then threw the blanket over the area she believed Darkrai was. He was floating there, and the blanket hung over him, in the air, like a little kid who pretending to be a ghost. Darkrai tried to get the blanket off of him, but not before Jobe could tackle him to the ground.

He willed his body to turn heavier, so Darkrai couldn't flee without sinking through the floor, like he had done in Wellstep's lab. Darkrai struggled for a second, but Jobe held strong. Kayla went over to her bag, and pulled out one of the extra Poke Balls she had bought a couple weeks ago. Jobe kept beating on Darkrai, to weaken him before his capture. Darkrai stopped struggling, and calmly stuck his hand out, encompassed by the bedding. It grabbed Jobe by his face, and pulled him down. Darkrai pulled another arm out, over his neck this time. He squeezed hard, blocking off Jobe's air and part of his blood supply to his brain. Jobe tried to wriggle free, but even through the blanket, Darkrai had him in a headlock.

"Capture him, Kayla!" he said, right before turning his body to stone.

She aimed, then threw the ball at the blanket. It opened, and sucked the blanket in, leaving an unseeable force still holding Jobe down, even in his stone form.

"Oh, crap!" she said, reaching for another ball.

Darkrai shoved the block of stone off of him, and saw her weak point. He turned visible again, moving over to Kayla, and grabbing her in a headlock instead. She yelped, and tried to yell for Jobe.

Right then, he changed back into human form. He could only stay in a immobile form like that momentarily, or he would stay like that forever. He noticed that the blanket was gone, Darkrai wasn't holding him anymore, but Kayla.

"Hey, c'mon man, let's be cool here. She doesn't need to get hurt, and neither do you." Jobe taunted.

Darkrai tightened his grip on her. "The same goes for you; you are correct, she does not have to be injured, but if you refuse to submit, then she must."

Jobe stopped, unsure of whether to trust Darkrai or not. He probably would kill her if he did submit, and if he didn't, he might have a chance to stop him.

An idea popped into his mind; he only hoped that Darkrai couldn't read it.

"Fine... here, I submit. Leave her alone." he said. Kayla's eyes went wide. Jobe put his hands down on the carpet, and sat on his knees.

Darkrai seemed pleased, but didn't release Kayla yet. "Good..." he said evilly, before dropping her and placing a free hand on the back of Jobe's neck.

Jobe suddenly retaliated, and grabbing Darkrai's arm, he threw him against the wall. But he just flew straight through the walls, unharmed.

Jobe sighed. "How many more Poke Balls do you have left?" he asked her.

"Two! You better hope these work." she said, fishing them out of her bag.

"Go ahead and use one on Roark, quick. Give the other one to me."

She handed him one, then went into the bathroom to finish Roark off. Just then, Darkrai flashed through the wall, reaching for Jobe. He ducked, but Darkrai expected this, and he picked him up by his ankles.

It was hard to see upside down, but the world certainly looked different. He heard a loud pop, then saw a flash of light. He knew that she had captured Roark, the first part of his plan, complete. Now he just had to do his own part. He made himself lighter, in an attempt to float away, but Darkrai held him good.

"You are very lightweight." Darkrai said, poking him in his gut. "We shall fix that." he said.

"That is even if you can take me! I'm not going alive!" Jobe said, trying to break free of his iron grip.

Darkrai shook his head. "You poor, disillusioned boy. You still do not realize it? I have been trying to give it to you easy, but that is it. I have a timed schedule to keep, and this delay is messing that schedule up. Pleasant dreams, Jobe..." he said, putting his right arm on Jobe's neck.

Jobe felt a strange sense of exhaustion overcome him, and he relaxed in Darkrai's grip, asleep.

Kayla was quietly watching, she knew that Darkrai could see her, but it would do no good to try to take him now. They had lost. Darkrai started to leave, but stopped when he saw her. He thought about something, mumbling to himself.

"Hmm... you are romantically involved with this Jobe, are you not?" he asked her.

She nodded, unsure of where he was getting.

"Very well. Since he most likely dragged you into this, and not of your own free will, I shall offer you a trade, of which I suggest you accept. Give me Roark, and you can come with us, unscathed. I will allow you see Jobe in his new... _habitat._ Since it will most likely be the last time you see him anyhow, you may as well cough up that ball and get something for it, or I will take it from you, and leave you here, empty-handed." he offered.

Kayla felt an overwhelming sense of dread come upon her. It was one of those trades, the trades you always see on classic crime movies. Reluctantly, she agreed. "Fine... here. But one thing first..." she said, ripping the empty Poke Ball from Jobe's hand, and chucking it at Darkrai.

She heard a quick "Curse you..." before the ball engulfed Darkrai in a bright light, and then a pop was heard. Another flash of light, and Jobe fell to the floor, hitting his head. Darkrai was now inside the white and red ball, the ball wiggling around frantically. She picked it up, although it almost fell out of her hands with its movements. Kayla dashed over to the toilet in the bathroom, and dropped it in the pot. She then flushed it, and watched the orb swirl around for a minute, then disappear through the hole.

Now with Darkrai gone and Roark captured, she could take a breath. Kayla tried to drag Jobe over onto one of the beds, and surprisingly, he was very light. He only weighed about a third of his normal weight. After she got him situated, she realized how quiet it had gotten.

It sounded so peaceful, with his light snoring, and the trickling of the rain hitting the window. These were the moments that she loved best, though they didn't happen very often. This one, however, wasn't as enjoyable as it should be; Jobe was asleep, instead of relishing in the same environment with her. That ruined it.

Kayla tried to wake him up, using various measures like slapping his face, making as much noise as possible, and even tried kissing him, but none woke him up. She looked around the room, trying to think of another idea to wake him. She saw the ice bucket that he had used on her the other day.

An idea popped into her head. She grabbed the bucket, and filled it with cold water, as he had done to her before. She brought it over to the bed, and held it over his head. Kayla bit her lip, and turned the bucket over, pouring ¼ gallon of ice water onto his face.

"Gaaaah!" Jobe screamed, instantly jumping up. He was starting to shiver, the cold water's properties taking effect. His mind was still in a daze, an additional side-effect to the slumber that he put Jobe into.

"W-what was t-that for?"

Kayla looked at him in surprise. "You were sleeping! I couldn't wake you up for anything! I tried blasting the TV, kissing you, slapping you upside the head, and then the water, except that worked..." she said, biting her lip.

Jobe was hysterical. "Yeah, it worked! Now I'm freezing, turn the heat up." he said, jumping into the dry bed and getting under the covers.

She looked down at her bed, then groaned. "Oh man... I didn't think of that. Now my bed is soaked..." she said, then grinned at him.

Jobe's eyes went wide. "Oh no... no no, I'm not sleeping in that bed."

"Silly! Of course you're not, and neither am I." she said.

He didn't know what she was getting at at first, but then he saw what she meant. "No, you can't sleep with me either. I told you, I wasn't doing that, and I don't want you doing anything crazy again."

She shook her head. "No, I'm not going to do anything like that. You stay as far over on your side as you want, and I'll sleep right next to you." Kayla giggled.

"Gimme those pillows." he said, pointing at the wet bed. She handed them to him. He set them in the middle, creating a barrier in between them.

"There. Now you can, so long as you don't cross it."

Kayla shrugged. "Whatever." she said, walking over to the fridge and pulling out two Shuca berries. Then she sat on the bed, next to Jobe, but not crossing the makeshift barrier.

"Mmm... don't you love these things?" she said, putting one in her mouth.

Jobe's mouth started to water. "Yes, I do. Gimme one of em." he said, reaching for the other one.

She pulled it away from him. "Ah ha! You just crossed the line."

Jobe rolled his eyes. "We're not sleeping yet. Give it to me!"

"Or what?"

"Or I'll...I'll..." he stuttered, trying to think of something bad he could do to her.

"Exactly. You can't touch me. See, you ought to be more careful about that. I could blackmail you so easy. But fine... here." she gave in, handing him the delicious fruit. He devoured it quickly, wanting more.

He smiled. "Okay, now I can sleep. Goodnight..." he said, rolling onto his side.

"But it's not even 9 o'clock yet." she said, getting up to change clothes.

He didn't even budge. "Yeah, but I'm tired from that fight. You can stay up if you want, I'll be out in a couple more minutes... And remember! Your side of the bed." he said, starting to snore.

"...Fine..." was her reply. She went into the bathroom and changed quickly, then cut the light off and jumped back into bed.

"You gotta give me some of the blankets." she said, trying to tear them off of him.

He pulled them back. "No! You have your own, just your bed got wet."

She hit him on the shoulder. "You dummy! The blankets were ON the bed when it got wet! C'mon, share em already."

Jobe sighed, then he gave in. "Fine... here. But remember, your side." he said, finally trying to get to sleep.

"Sure..." she said, giving him a quick kiss. _That's what you think... _Kayla thought to herself, laying down next to him, on her side.

She waited until she heard him snore, then made her move. Quietly pretending to shift, she edged over, inch by inch, until she was past the line of pillow in the middle. Now Kayla was about half a foot from him, still not close enough for her. She slowly crept even closer, until she could feel his back brush against her chest. She smiled, then carefully put her left arm under the covers, and over his left shoulder. Then she moved her other arm under his neck, until it was if she was hugging him from behind. Kayla shifted her legs until they crossed his, and relaxed. She hugged him tightly, then stayed in this strange, but comfortable, position throughout the night, until being lulled to sleep by the loving embrace.

**o-o-o**

The next morning, Kayla woke up to Jobe still being in her arms, although he had shifted slightly; he was now laying on his back. She didn't want to move, enjoying the feeling that being near him gave her. Jobe stirred a little bit, then his eyes sprung open. He yawned, and stretched his arms up. She smiled when he looked over at him.

"Morning Kayla..." he said, sharing a kiss with her. He didn't notice how close she was at first, it was only when she took a deep breath and he felt something soft press against his shoulder, that he saw just how close she was.

"Ack! Kayla! What're you doing this close? I told you not to cross the middle!" he said, jumping up.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, Jobe, get over it. I'm not gonna do anything like that. And you didn't even know until a second ago. Don't act like you didn't like it. I know you like it when I hug and kiss you, what difference does it make whether we're asleep or not?"

"Because I know what's going on when I'm awake. I can control myself when I'm awake. I can't say the same when I'm sleeping." he replied.

"That's no reason, that's an excuse. You love it, don't deny it. And I see nothing wrong with it, whether we're sleeping or not. Like I said, I'm not doing anything crazy, and neither are you. As long as we both agree and know that, there shouldn't be a problem." she said.

Jobe wasn't sure. He didn't know if he should give in and just enjoy it instead of avoiding it, or take the precautions and abstain from that.

"...Fine... But I'm serious, if you start anything crazy..."

She shook her head. "I don't even want to! I've told you that already. It may seem like it, but I told you, I'm just playing with you." she said, giving him a nudge.

Though he had conflicting feelings about it, Kayla got her way, once again.

"Whatever... I'm hungry. What's for breakfast...?" he said, getting up and opening the fridge. "WHAT! NO MORE BERRIES!"

"Oh yeah, those were the last two... I forgot to tell you. We need to go grocery shopping again." she said, hopping out of bed.

He sighed. "Okay, I have to tell you something." he said, sitting down on the bed. Kayla sat next to him, curious what he was going to say.

"You know how we had that huge fight yesterday with Roark and Darkrai? Well, when you were knocked out, there was a knock on the door. He forced me to answer it, and it was the police. Thankfully, they didn't recognize me, but I think they were suspicious. So there is a chance they might come back and interrogate me more. So... as much as I hate to say it, I think I have to leave Undella... soon. Very soon. I mean, I love it here and all, but they're still chasing me, and I came so close to being captured yesterday..." he said, his head in his hands.

She rubbed his back. "Well... yes, they're still after you. But I don't think that they could've brought you in without making sure it was you... maybe they could have, I don't know. But they didn't. They didn't, and because of that, you're still free. Although I don't like what you did in Nimbasa, I think that you did it in self defense, or my self defense. You got angry, you escaped from jail, all that probably will not help on your record... but it happened anyway. Don't worry, it will all work out, in the end." she consoled him.

"Yeah, but... how long? I can't keep running like this forever. I need to clear that record, or it'll clear me..."

Kayla saw a tear drip from his hands onto the already-damp carpet. "I know why, but why are you getting so worked up over this? With your disguise, you have reduced their chances of finding you to almost none. As long as you keep that, you'll be fine for quite a while. I actually think you look better with black hair..." she said, twirling a finger through it. He didn't budge, but he stopped sobbing. "But really, don't worry about it now. Live in the moment... I understand why you would want to leave Undella Town, and I want you to know that I will go wherever you go. If you want to go to Lacunosa next, fine with me. But I wouldn't, cause I heard that place is filled with cops. If I can make a suggestion... can... can we go back to Nimbasa for a day or two? I'd like to reintroduce you to my parents, to make them know that I'm safe and sound with you. They keep calling me, asking if I need any more money or anything else like that. Can we? I also want to stop at Black City on the way, too. We passed by it last time."

He looked up from his hands, feeling lightened by what she told him. "I don't know what I would've done without you. This whole thing would've been crap if you weren't here. Yes, we can go back to Nimbasa. And we can stop by Black City. I would want to make sure that your parents know you are safe. But, we told the hotel people that we were staying for a couple months... how's that going to work?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe they have an early fee or something, but don't worry about it. I've got too much money, even if we were to stay the whole year, that's like my weekly allowance. And that's a load of money, too. Like I said before, it costs more to feed Dante per week than I've spent on this entire trip. It's nothing. And even if it did cost me something, I would have no problem spending it anyway."

He nodded, deeply thankful for her generosity. "One question, though: how come if you guys are so rich, that you live in a rather small house?"

She thought about it for a second, then shrugged. "I don't really know. You can ask my dad." Jobe got a chill, he wasn't very anxious to meet Mr. Payton.

"I'm not so sure I'm going to like this..." he said, feeling a knot in the pit of his stomach.

Kayla giggled. "Oh, come on. He's not scary or anything. I mean, he might yell at you a little, but I think that he'll like you. It's my mom who is not too impressed right now, but I think that you've changed, and you can show her that. I've tried to tell her, but I don't think she believe me fully yet. So this trip'll be good for both of us, if you know what I mean."

"Uhh, yeah, I think. Another thing: you know that after we leave here, I can't share another room or bed with you again, unless it's I another hotel? Especially in your own house. They'd kick me out on the spot if they ever found out what we're doing now." he said, feeling uneasy.

She gave him a seductive smile. "That's why they won't find out, will they, Jobe?"

A chill went down his spine. Whenever she said his name like that, it always sent him chills. He didn't know if that was love or her giving him that look. "I'm not gonna be the one to tell them. That you can be sure of."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Good, cause neither will I..."

There was another one of those awkward silences again.

"Now, uhh... not to get off topic, but when can we leave? I'd like to get out of this hotel, it's starting to make my stomach ache..." he said, clutching his abdomen.

She shook her head, then smiled. "Oh, that's not the hotel's fault, that's from me. Usually whenever a girl does something like that to a guy, they get that feeling. It's not a stomachache, it's more of an anxious feeling. It kinda feels good, doesn't it? At least, when I get it, it feels good..."

He shrugged. "I guess if that's the way I'm supposed to feel, then yeah, it does. So what you're saying, is that if you left, it would go away?"

"That depends. Would you still like me if I left?" she asked.

He thought about it for a second. "Yeah, I probably would."

"Then no, it wouldn't. What you're feeling, is _love. _That's a hard word to say, but it's the truth. You _love _me, and I _love _you, too." she said, hugging him.

He held the embrace for a second, then fell back with her onto the bed. He looked her in the eyes, and pushed his lips against hers in a short, but passionate, kiss.

"Remember... don't tell..."

**o-o-o**

They spent the rest of the morning packing up, and finishing off the rest of the food they had left. By the time they finished, it was about 1 in the afternoon. The two bags were lined up by the door, ready to head out with them.

"Ready?" he asked her. She nodded in response.

The two headed out the door, and down to the lobby, so they could check out.

**o-o**

"Yes, I'd like to check out. And I know that we had reserved the room for several months, but somethings come up and we have to leave now. Oh, and there was some... damages done to the bathroom and one of the beds... one of the walls has a gaping whole in it now... sorry about that." Kayla explained. The lady she gave Jobe a questioning glance. He tried to avert his gaze.

"Right... Well, I have to apply this month's rent anyway, plus the early termination fee..." she made some calculations on the computer. "The total bill comes to 11,400 Ƥ."

Kayla's jaw dropped. "Wow, that's a whole lot more than we go quoted for. Why the huge spike?" she said, pulling out her ƤassPay Card.

"Well, the original bill was 800 per month. Plus the down payment of 200, comes to 1,000 Ƥ. And you told me of the water damages to the bed and the wall, which I do not want to know why. The bed will have to be replaced, the wall repaired. That costs more than the room, and that is why the additional 10,400." she explained. Kayla handed her the card, and the counter-person swiped it. The bill was paid, just like that.

"You two have a good day." she said, watching Jobe walk out.

**_o-o-o_**

**Set course for Black City! Can anyone guess why she expressed desire to go there? Hmm?**

**And, no. Darkrai is not battling with a turd right now. XD**

**He'll come back, don't you worry. As for that, what did you think of him?**


	14. You what?

**A/N: ****Song here is "Beat it" by MJ. It doesn't really match for the song, but the title does.**

**And I put a little cue in here from Paul Blart: Mall Cop. So kudos to them for that funny movie.**

**WARNING:**

**Ages 16+ A rather adult chapter, but nothing is specifically mentioned, just referred to.**

**Contains so-so language. Aaaaannd... sexual content again.**

**Plus, there is a VERY important reference in this chapter. (No not the above) Well, not REALLY important, but VERY important...**

**And thanks once again to Infinity Warrior for another scene!**

**RECAP:**

**Jobe continued to defy Darkrai. It was another scuffle, interrupted by the police. Jobe handled them, and tried to stop Darkrai from entering the bathroom and sealing his doom. Kayla woke up, defeated Roark in some unexplained manner, and they ambushed Darkrai. He eventually got out of the hold, and threatened Kayla. Jobe gave in, then tricked Darkrai and slammed him into the wall. He came back, but not after Kayla captured Roark in a Poke Ball. Darkrai put Jobe to sleep, and bargained for Roark in the ball from Kayla. She accepted, but snagged the extra ball from Jobe's hand, and captured Darkrai in it. Then she flushed the ball down the toilet. After all of that mess, Jobe was still asleep, it took a bucket of ice water to wake him up. He yelled for a minute, then went straight to bed, exhausted. He did have to share the bed with Kayla, however. She capitalized on this, and slept very close to him. He woke up hysterical, then gave in, and told her that he needed to leave. She told him to go to Black City first, then Nimbasa. He agreed, and they both packed up, then she paid the bill and left.**

**o-o-o**

"So... how are we going to get there?" Jobe asked, setting his bag down.

She thought for a second. "Well, now that you know I'm rich, we have three ways of doing this:

1, you change back into a Charizard or something, and fly me there. 2, I pay for a train, bus or taxi to drive us the whole way. 3, I buy my own car and I drive. I like the third one better. The first one will put you in more danger of being caught by the cops again. The second one scares me, and my parents don't care if I buy another car, so..."

Jobe nodded. "That's not the only reason you want to go home that way... So, let's go to a car store, then. Is there one near here?"

She giggled at his wordage. "Car store? Car dealership. And no, there isn't... so that creates another problem. You may just have to fly us to Black City. There's bound to be one there."

He shook his head. "No, I'm too lazy. Let's just ask around and get a car from a local guy." he said, heading over to the Pokemon Center.

**o-o-o**

There was a community bulletin board hanging on the wall, so they went and checked it out.

"Hey, here's a red SUV that seats 6, with extended trunk space and good gas mileage... only 6000 Ƥ, is that bad?" he said.

She examined the picture. "Hmm.. no, not really. But why do we need that many seats?" she asked.

He blushed. "Well, we don't, right now. But since it's yours anyhow, you might need it later..."

She shrugged. "Whatever. It's still a good price, I'll call the number..." she said, dialing.

**o-o**

"Hello? Yes, I'm inquiring about the SUV you have for sale? Yes, the maroon one... 6000? And where do you live? Okay, I'll be right there to pick it up." she said, hanging up. "Well? Let's go!"

**o-o-o**

They eventually found the guy's house, which was a large duplex apartment. The saw the red car, sitting on the street, with a FOR SALE sign on it, marking 6000 Ƥ.

Jobe went up and knocked on the door while she examined the car.

"Hey, I think my girlfriend called up about a car about 15 minutes ago?" he told the man that answered. He was old and fat, in his late 50s, with brown hair and wearing jeans and a tank top that eagerly displayed his beer belly.

"Yah, just gimme the 6 grand and git out." he said rudely, holding his hand out.

Jobe didn't have the money, she did. "Well, she has the money, not me. Kayla! Get over here!" he yelled at her.

She ran up to the door. "What's up?"

"Do you like the car?" Jobe asked her. The man sighed.

"Lookie here, ya whore, I jest want ma 6k, got it? Now hand it over, and I'll give ya da keys." the man said impolitely.

Kayla started to turn red. She opened her mouth to protest, but Jobe kept her quiet. "Fine. Just give him the money so we can leave."

She reluctantly gave him the cash, and he counted it before giving them the keys. He grunted, then handed over the keys, and shut the door in their face.

**o-o-o**

They packed the things into the car, then hopped in and started it up. It was a pretty smooth ride, the suspension kicking in whenever they hit a pothole on the underfunded roads. It didn't take long for them to get to the highway, heading southwest. But before they left, the couple stopped at the Poke Mart one last time, to restock on snacks and drinks for the road.

**o-o**

After they got back in the car, Kayla didn't start it at first.

She had a very sad expression on her face. "Jobe, why do people keep thinking I'm a hooker or something? Do I really look like one?" she said, tears starting to form under her pale blue-green eyes.

That question surprised Jobe. He was shocked she even thought about that. He saw her tears, and noticed it was a serious problem, not just another joke.

"Aww, Kayla, of course not. That guy was just plain rude; he probably just wanted to go back to sleep or something. Don't let what other people think get to you. I don't think you look like that." _Actually, I've never seen anyone like that before, so..._

"Well yeah, but you're my boyfriend, you're supposed to say that. I heard what Dr. Wellstep said, he even thought that's what I was like..." she said, little drops of tears starting to drip down her cheeks.

He wiped them away. "Don't cry, Kayla. It's nothing to worry about. He said that he was wrong about that. And I know, you know, your parents know; that you don't act like one."

She stopped sobbing, that little bit of comfort helped. "I know, but I don't want other people to think that. In fact... I haven't actually... y'know... 'done it' yet..." she admitted.

Now that surprised Jobe, but it didn't bother him. "Umm... okay, I didn't think you would've... But anyway, don't let what other people think of you get to you. It's not good. How do you think I feel? If I didn't keep my secret, people would hate me. Actually, some people have seen me change, and they do hate me now, and I don't think I can do anything to change that."

Kayla wiped her eyes. "Yeah, I know. It's stupid that I even told you..."

"No no no, don't bottle it up inside, either. You shouldn't be feeling like this in the first place, but if you are, you need to tell someone and get it off your chest. I'm here for that. Don't hesitate to tell me anything. I won't laugh, I promise." he assured her.

She smiled. "Okay, I will. I feel a little bit better now, but I can't help thinking why Wellstep would say that..."

"Well, he said that mostly it was because of your appearance. On that day, you were still in your tank top and shorts, and walking through that rain made them... see-through again. So that's probably why. That was my fault, though, I should've let you change first." he said.

"Oh... so it is the way I dress..."

Jobe shook his head. "No! Remember you were still in your pajamas and I drug you outside in the rain so we could meet him. I wasn't even thinking about it."

Kayla shrugged. "Well, if you say so. I just notice guys looking at me, and not in the good way. Creepy older guys. Like, criminal-looking guys... Even Tony looked at me that way, part of the reason I ditched him..." Then she laughed. "Actually, I saw a couple girls looking that way once..."

He laughed too. "Well, that's just plain weird, but I guess that's society today. If I catch one, or if one is staring you down and it's bothering you, don't hesitate to tell me. I'll send him into next week. You know that."

She nodded. "Yeah. I do..." she said, giving him a hug.

He blushed. "Good. Now uhh... not to change subject, but how old are you? I don't think I ever learned that."

"Well, my birthday is in November. I'll be 19 on the 9th."

Jobe's jaw almost dropped. He had an older girlfriend! Of course, he didn't know **exactly **how old he himself was, but he took a guess at 17, that was one thing he forgot to ask the Doc.

_Crap! I though she was younger than me. She certainly doesn't look 19... And I guess I probably don't look 17 either, but..._

He nodded. "Ohh... I thought you were younger than that. You certainly don't look 19."

She blushed and smiled sweetly. "Thank you. Now, how old are you? You probably don't know, but take a guess, and I'll tell you how old I think you are."

He told her his response, which was 17. She said he looked 21.

"21? Where do you get that from?" He was surprised.

She shrugged. "I dunno, but compared to some other guys I know who are 17, you look way more mature than they do. Actually, I know someone who is 25 and he looks younger than you do. But he always was short, and I think he remained a 90-pound weakling all throughout college. I think he weighs 110 now. Needless to say, he was on the Chess Team at his school..."

Jobe chuckled. "Yeah, I wouldn't doubt it. Well, I don't know if 21 is a good thing or not, but oh well. Until we find out my old name, we'll never know. So let's just say I'm 18 for now."

She smiled. "Oh, you don't want to be older than me? That doesn't bother you?"

He shrugged. "Why? Should it? I mean, I guess I could be older, but it doesn't bother me."

"Well, okay, if you say so. But enough of this, we can talk on the way." she said, starting the car up and backing out of the parking lot, heading towards the highway.

**o-o-o**

They had to stay on the interstate for 30 miles to get to their destination, Black City. It took about 25 minutes, but it was the shortest 25 minutes Jobe ever experienced.

"Well, here we are; Black City." Kayla said, getting out of the car.

Black City was a very advanced town; the skyscrapers were endless, they all ran off of solar power, the 'pavement' panels lit up when you stepped on them, but there were several people walking to and fro their destinations, however. That surprised them, since it was a rather large area, it was kind of hard to walk everywhere.

"So, why did you want to come here? It's like 7 o' clock, I'm hungry, let's get something to eat." he said, pointing over to a futuristic restaurant. She shrugged, and walked with him.

**o-o**

They went inside of the restaurant, and waited for the server to seat them.

"I hope there's a decent hotel in this place, cause we are going to stay one night here." she said, already laying down the plan.

Jobe, considering how much she spent on the hotel room last time, was surprised by this. Their total bill from the last one cost twice as much as the car.

"Are you sure? It's probably going to be even more expensive here than Undella. We could just put the seats down, and sleep in the car." he suggested.

She shook her head. "Why are you so obsessed with my money? Look, I have told you three times already: you are not costing me hardly anything. And even if you were, I would be glad to spend it. There are some things I want to buy here that can't be found anywhere else, not in good stock. One is two laptops, one for each of us. Plus some clothes, since they have some exclusive designs here. That is one of the main reasons for coming here, and staying the night."

Jobe nodded, now he knew: it was a shopping trip. But he caught something she said, and asked her about it.

"You said one main reason, what's the other?"

She smiled mischievously. "That's a surprise. Don't worry, I think you'll love it."

The waitress came over and told them the table was ready, so they got up and walked over to the console, then sat down.

**o-o**

After they ordered their two lemonades and a dinner of Chicken Parmesan for Kayla and a salad for Jobe, she was the one to start up the typical talk over food.

"So... do you know what the surprise is?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "No, you wouldn't tell me."

"You don't even have a guess?"

"Well..." He thought for a second. "No, I don't. I have no idea."

She smiled, her secret still unrevealed. "Good... cause I don't want you to know until tonight."

He shrugged, finishing off the last of his salad. The waitress came by and picked the bowl up, and asked what he wanted for a meal.

"Uhh... that was my meal." he responded.

She frowned. "Oh... okay, then. I'll bring your bill out right away, unless you may be interested in dessert?"

Kayla shook her head. "No thanks, we're good." she said, winking at Jobe. He didn't know exactly what she meant, but he went along with it.

The waitress smiled and walked away.

"What was that?" he questioned Kayla.

"Oh, I think you know what it means."

Jobe forced a wry smile, but still wasn't 100% sure what she meant.

**o-o-o**

After she paid the bill, they left and walked back to the car. Jobe was anxious to see what her surprise was, but she didn't give him any clues, driving straight to the hotel and reserving a room.

Jobe brought in the two bags, and marveled at the luxury they would be staying in tonight. It made the Tavern look like a dump, compared to this palace. Their room was number 63, on the first floor.

Walking inside the room, they soon discovered it wasn't a room, but an apartment.

It housed a 60-inch pluro TV, a full-sized kitchen, a comfortable couch, 2 full-sized bathrooms, a full-sized den, and a single queen-sized bed.

That made Jobe a little nervous. "Uhh, I think you made a mistake. There's only one bed..."

She smiled. "Nope, no mistake."

He shuddered. "I know I told you that it didn't bother me, but that doesn't mean we can't get two beds."

Kayla rolled her eyes. "Okay, seriously? You're going to pull that card out again? We already talked about this. No, that is NOT the surprise tonight." she said, putting one of his guesses to rest. He grunted in response.

"What? You don't like me cuddling up to you?"

"No, it's not that. Being that close to you in a closed environment like that makes me... uncomfortable." he admitted.

She smiled. "Uncomfortable? I know what you _really_ mean, Jobe. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

He blushed. "Well... I still don't like it."

She shrugged. "I guess you don't have to. C'mon, let's watch some TV." she said, hopping on the bed. He slowly sat down on it, about 2 feet away from her. She sighed, and pulled him over to her, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"There must be something with the TV in hotels, because it's always crappy programming. I mean, look! There is nothing on..." she said, flipping through all the channels 3 times, before angrily shutting it off and throwing the remote across the room. As soon as she had cut the T.V. off, Jobe let a yawn, a sign of exhaustion. It was around 9 P.M, and he was a little tired, but not enough to fall asleep yet.

He looked over to Kayla and asked, "I'm still not tired yet, want to find something else to do?"

She turned her head and looked over to him, replying with a devious smirk, "Hm… I have a few things in mind."

He raises a brow then questions her, "Oh really?"

"Yep!" she perks, as she leans in for a kiss. Jobe realizes this and quickly reacts to catch up with her. Their lips connect, sending a jolt of stimulation, which was already familiar to the two.

It first began with a light, brush of the lips, but then Kayla wanted to make things more aggressive, once she put her tongue into his mouth, exploring it, and he retorted by performing the same action.

The room began to heat up between the two.

Kayla was certainly feeling it, because she began to slip her hands under his shirt, and feeling his soft body all over. Jobe was shocked by this. No words or emotions showed this though. He decided to play along with it, as he slid his own hands onto her back, rubbing it slightly, and pulling her deeper into the kiss.

This one moment of passion stood for the test of time, until Kayla decided to take it to the next step. She found her hands drifting down to his pants, and unbuttoned it. Jobe didn't realize this. She began pulling the zipper down, snapping him back into reality, and backing out of the kiss.

Both of their eyes instantly opened, and they were both flustered.

"Uh… Sorry Kayla, I don't think I'm ready just yet." He tells her, looking slightly away from her.

She pulled her hand away, her mind clearing up. "I'm sorry. I just got too caught up in the moment…. And… Yeah… Sorry…" she replies, in a sincere voice.

Jobe understood her sincerity, and believed it. "Ok then… Let's get some rest for tomorrow, alright?" he asks her.

Kayla looks at him, smiling, then says, "Alrighty then."

They snuggle together, even after this very awkward moment, and slowly fall asleep. He glances at the clock. 10:58 P.M.

**o-o**

Sleep was hard to come by, however. Kayla kept shivering throughout the night. Which was strange, since she was under the covers. Jobe couldn't stop thinking about what had almost happened. It troubled him that she would lose control that easy. True, his mind was distracted too, and if he hadn't caught it at the last second, he would've gone along with it. But now, he couldn't stop thinking about if it would happen again.

_I can't believe she would do that... Maybe we need to slow down..._

While he was still thinking, Kayla gave up on sleep, and opened her eyes, to find that he wasn't asleep either.

She noticed that he was distraught. "Aww, baby... what's wrong? Is it... what I did earlier?" He nodded slowly. "I promise it won't happen again... I was... I was just so caught up, it was so entrancing, that I didn't even know what I was doing... I guess I really need to keep control of myself and think about the later instead of now..."

Jobe didn't want her to feel horrible. "Well, it's not all your fault. I was absorbed in it too... I should've stopped you when you... put your hands in my shirt... I'm just glad I didn't do that same."

She giggled. "Yeah, or I REALLY would've been consumed in the moment." she said. Jobe didn't respond immediately. "But there is one thing that I have to ask... did you... like it?"

Again, his answer wasn't instantaneous. "Yeah, I guess I did, except for... well, y'know."

She smiled, glad that he wasn't completely offended. "Good... Well, I still feel kinda bad, so I'm gonna let you know what the secret is. You gotta get changed first." she said, getting out of the bed and pulling out something from her suitcase, showing him a dress.

**o-o**

After he changed into something nicer, she still wouldn't tell him. So she finished getting ready, and they headed out to the car and drove around Black City for a couple minutes.

He yawned. "Kayla, it's like almost midnight. Can't we just head back to the hotel and go to the surprise tomorrow?"

She shook her head. "No, they're only open at night. And, we're here."

Jobe rubbed his eyes and looked out the windshield. There was a sign that had a picture of a questionable cat-like creature, next to the words Wry Weavile's. All of the windows on the small building were blackened out, and there was music playing so loud that the gravel parking lot was vibrating.

"Uhh... what is this place?" he asked her, unsure.

She looked at him in surprise. "You don't know? It's a nightclub! C'mon!" she said, getting out of the car. Jobe slowly hopped out of the vehicle too, catching up to her.

Before they got to the door, she stopped him. "Okay, look. This is a cabaret. I guess you haven't been to one before, and neither have I, but my friends have told me about them. There's supposed to be like hundreds of people, packed into this tiny little shack. Yeah, they're all pressed up against each other and stuff. So here's what you, a guy, is supposed to do; you need to act like you own me, since I can promise you that there will be other guys trying to pick me up. So express that dominance that I know you possess. Another thing: don't get anything to drink, they'll ask for a license, and since you don't have one, you'll get kicked out, cause we're not even supposed to be here tonight. If someone starts acting all crazy, try to stay away from them. And if someone tries to make conversation, just make up a fake name and all that jazz. We won't be here long." she said, opening the door and heading inside.

The music was about to burst Jobe's eardrums, it was blastingly loud. There were people packed in, you had to plow through them to get anywhere. It was dark, with laser lights and strobe flashes going off all over the place. He lost Kayla for a minute, only to a have her hand grab his wrist and pull him through the crowd. She eventually guided him over to a more isolated spot, but there were still people here, some making out and some dancing. They sat down at a table, and tried to adjust to the different environment.

"So... what're we supposed to do in here?" he asked her.

She pointed to some people. "Look around, see anybody doing anything you want to? There are virtually no rules in this place." He glanced at some of them, a chick giving a drunk guy a lap dance, somebody was doing karaoke, some were lying on tables, asleep from all the alcohol intake.

He frowned. "Well, nothing, then. I don't want to do all this crazy stuff. Let's just go back to the hotel."

She shook her head. "No. You need to get out and have fun. I have watched, and I know that you don't have as much fun as an '18' year old should. So I'm staying at least until 2, if you want to go home and leave me here, then go."

"No, I don't want to leave you here alone. Like you said, there's creepos in here. Fine... I'll stay, but don't do whatever she's doing..." he said, pointing to the lap-dancer.

Kayla laughed. "Oh, you've never gotten a lap dance? Remind me sometime... I'll give you one, if you'll let me."

Jobe sweat a little. "Uhh..."

She smiled. "It doesn't have to be anytime soon. Hey wait..." she held up a hand, as the DJ switched on a slow song. "Let's dance, it's a slow one, so you don't have to get crazy." she said, pulling him up out of the chair.

They got out on the floor, amongst dozens of other couples, most of them drunk. They tried to stay away from most of them, but it was inevitable; there would always be some jerk who would wink at Kayla or some chick who would slap Jobe in the rear.

_Yeah, I don't think I'll ever want to come back here again..._

It was a long, slow song, so naturally, they just did the basic onestep-twostep dance. He did enjoy having this moment with her, even if it was 'public'. Of course, he didn't feel like he could fully concentrate on her if there was people knocking up against them, but Jobe tried.

Near the end of the song, Kayla leaned in again, giving him the signal that she wanted him to pucker up again. He closed his eyes, and met her lips.

But right before they touched, something pulled Kayla away from him. He was a large beefy man, and after Jobe took a look at him, he recognized him.

It was that same guy who was trying to torment Kayla in the Shack. He grinned evilly, as he tried to kiss Kayla himself. She was desperately trying to break free, but his masculine hands restrained her arms. Jobe felt his adrenaline rush, and pulled back his fist, and gave the guy a hard slugger. He tried to block it with his arm, but Jobe blew right through his limb, and heard something snap. The man cried out in agony, dropping Kayla. There was now a crowd watching the brawl, and that made Jobe nervous. He didn't think he would have to fight, since the man was clutching his arm in pain.

The man's forearm had now turned into a right angle; the bone was completely perpendicular to its normal position. He helped Kayla stand up, and tried to leave, but there were too many people blocking the exit. All the eyes were on either the man or Jobe. The music had stopped playing. He knew that there was going to be trouble.

"Move your ass outta my way!" Jobe heard a gruff voice say, and saw two more men, similar in build to Mr. Burly. They came over to Jobe, and glanced between him and their friend, lying down on the floor, clutching his arm in agony.

One of the two crouched next to him. "Hey, Jimmy boy, whatssa matter? Your arm is broked? Don't you worry, we'll fix this kid up."

They slowly walked closer to Jobe, cracking their knuckles.

"Ya heah dat? We'res gonna fix ya up. Let's a see heah... why don'tcha just git out an we can take cahr a yur gurl heah?" the lead one said, glancing over at Kayla. She had moved over next to Jobe, holding his arm.

_Don't go crazy, Jobe. Keep it together now..._ She thought to herself. Kayla didn't want him to resort to violence, but she could tell that there would be no other way.

Jobe puffed his chest out, and stood his ground. "You wish. Leave us alone, and you won't end up in the hospital tonight."

The second man smiled. "Ha! Ya wish it was that easy. C'mon girlie, let's hava dance..." he said, reaching out to Kayla. Jobe batted his arm away. The man was surprised at how easy his attempt was blocked.

"Oh yeah? I dare ya ta try dat again." he said, slowly trying to get a hold of Kayla again. This time, Jobe grabbed his arm with crushing force. "Hey crap man! Leggo mah arm now, ya heah meh?" the man yelped, feeling his hand go numb from lack of circulation. He tried to punch Jobe with his other limb, but he ducked and delivered a weak kick to the man's stomach. He fell on his back.

The other man glanced back at his teammate, and clenched his fist. "Bookah an Jimmeh, thems two's too weak. Imma gonna take cahr a you, right nahw, ya heah mah?"

Jobe was getting tired of hearing his drunken talk, so he tried to leave with Kayla again. The only thing standing in between them and the exit was the lead man. He would have to be removed.

"Alright, since you won't move, I'll make you." he said, taking a defensive stance. Kayla moved back behind him.

Mr. Large cracked his knuckles. "Heh heh... this'll be gooo-"

Jobe stopped him there with a quick punch to the jaw. He followed up by kicking him in the fork of his legs. The man doubled over in pain, too hurt to retaliate.

Jobe took advantage of this, and grabbed Kayla's arm again to flee, but this time, they got out without incident.

**o-o**

"Well, that was not how I wanted it to go..." Kayla said, after they had gotten back in the car and left.

Jobe shrugged. "It was alright... I mean, yeah, it would've been better if those thugs hadn't shown up..." he said, not quite finishing his sentence.

"Yeah, those jerks ruined it. But I have a question: how did that guy show up in Black City?"

Jobe hadn't thought of that. He couldn't think of why he would've showed up there, or how. "Hmm... I don't know. Unless... no wait, we have Roark captured. I'm not sure, Kayla. We shoulda asked him when he was competent."

They pulled up in the hotel parking lot. "Well, it doesn't really matter now, does it?" she said, hopping out of the car.

**o-o**

They headed back inside, and changed into their pajamas. Jobe checked the clock, it read 2:41 AM. Both of them hopped onto the bed, which was followed by a somewhat awkward quiet, after what had happened several hours ago.

Kayla, the silence breaker, did what she is always known for. "So Jobe... I know you said that it was somewhat fun, but... did it make up for, y'know, what I did earlier?"

Jobe shook his head. "I was never mad at you. If that was the real purpose of that trip, then it was a waste of time. Something happening like that doesn't make me hate you."

"Oh... well, no that wasn't the main reason, the main reason was for you to go out and have fun for once. And even if you were mad, I know how to make you love me again." she said, winking.

He got her drift. "Ah... I see... well..."

She smiled. "Well, what?"

"Well, I just meant that... actually, I don't know what I meant."

"Mmmhmm, sure. I believe you. You just don't feel like that you can talk to me about this stuff." she said sarcastically.

He yawned. "Whatever. I don't want to talk about it."

Kayla poked him. "And that's the problem. You don't open up. Well, I got some news for you: I can break that shell, and I will. You'll open up to me, don't you worry." she said, pulling the covers over her.

He didn't budge. "Alright. Break away."

She noticed that he didn't get under the blankets."You're not tired yet? You just yawned."

"I don't know, why? I guess so."

She sighed. "You still don't trust me. Fine. Have it your way." And with that, she got out of the bed, and opened the closet door, pulled out the spare pillow and blanket, and laid down on the couch. "Goodnight, Jobe." She said, obviously irritated.

He shrugged, and got under the covers himself, and quickly fell asleep.

**_o-o-o_**

**Ahaha! The only night they've spent apart for a while. It probably won't be the last one either. Okay, I was told by an anonymous source that I should make my forum more public, so click on my profile and go there!**

**Oh, and pluro, is a type of technology similar to plasma or LED. I just felt like making my own word up, so there.**


	15. Seriously?

**A/N: ****Song here is "What I Want" by Daughtry. Also that songs features Slash, and that is just awesome.**

**WARNING: You may learn some vocabulary after reading this chapter.**

**Oh BTW, if you haven't noticed because of the beach, it's about the middle of August right now.**

**Ages 15+. Explicit references yet again, and indescriptively bawdy drawings. And if you're an atheist, there's a religious reference here.**

**Okay, and one more thing. Some of you are probably wondering how close they are to either breaking up or getting married, so here's what I'm gonna do:**

_{- BU- - - - - -M -}_

**BU means Break Up and M stands for Married. So, so far up to this chapter, they are what it is currently. The less - there are in between the two, the closer they are to getting married, until they're completely gone. Think of it as an emotion calendar. Note that those dash marks don't necessarily mean chapters; they could remain the same or change drastically, depending on the content of the chapter. So right now, (the max no. of dashes is 15) there are 6. Use that as you will.**

**RECAP:**

**After they left the hotel room, the two needed some transportation, so they bought a car from a local resident. They left, and headed to Black City. Kayla made an unsuccessful advance on Jobe, which he didn't appreciate. She tried to make it up to him, by going to a nightclub. They hung out there for a little while, only to be greeted by the man who tried to assault Kayla in Undella Town. He got into a small scuffle with Jobe, and Jobe ending up fleeing with Kayla after two more thugs showed up. They went back to the hotel, and almost fell asleep, until he seemed to be unsettled. She questioned him about it, but he didn't want to talk about it. Kayla got frustrated with his stubbornness, and ended up sleeping on the sofa, instead of the bed with him.**

**o-o-o**

The night didn't come with much sleep for Jobe. He woke up in the middle of the night, and kept tossing and turning, trying to find that one comfortable position, but it was forever lost in the sheets of the hotel bed. Kayla had no better luck, she couldn't put her mind to rest. Both of them got up, seemingly at the same time.

She didn't want him to know what the real reason was, so when she jumped up, Kayla tried to pretend it was just a dream. She wanted to make him jealous, for him to see that she could sleep fine without him.

"Waah!" she yelled out. "Bad dream... Oh, sorry. Did I wake you up?" Kayla lied. She laid her head back down, smiling.

Jobe looked at her for a second, then shook his head and got out of bed. He walked over to Kayla. She hadn't noticed him yet.

He nudged her leg. "Hey Kayla? I... can't sleep. I think I know why. I guess I am a little too-"

Suddenly, Kayla jumped up, and hugged him tightly. "Oh Jobe! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have lost control of myself like that... It won't ever happen again, I promise!" she said, almost crying.

Jobe couldn't breathe for a second. Her jumping up that quick stunned him, he thought she was still half-asleep. "Whoa whoa whoa, calm down. I was going to say that I was being kinda strict, and maybe I should let up a little."

She shook her head, still holding him. "No, it was my fault. You keep doing what you're... not doing. Just tell me you're not mad?"

"Kayla, I'm not mad. I don't think I ever was mad. Maybe a little disappointed, but that was it."

She let go of him, and raised an eyebrow. "Disappointed? You mean that you... wanted me to continue?"

He shook his head. "No, not really... I was kinda disappointed that you would even think about doing it, even if you weren't really in control of yourself."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I won't ever do that again. Just love me again..." she said, hugging him again.

He almost laughed. _She really thinks I hate her or something... _

"Kayla! I told you, I don't hate you or anything. I love you, and you know that." he said, kissing her on her forehead.

She enjoyed the affection. "Well... yeah I do... just don't change that." she said, returning the fondness with a kiss of her own, but on his lips.

He relished in the feeling for a moment. "Hey now, don't get all carried away." he said, pushing her off of him.

Kayla smiled. "I won't." She said, yawning.

He yawned too. "Why don't you come back to berth?" he said, sitting down on the bed.

"I thought berth was another word for job, or having a baby?"

That word sent a chill down Jobe's spine. "Yeah, but I also found out it's another word for bed, too." he said, patting a spot down next to him.

Her eyes widened, realizing that he wanted things to return to normal again. She grabbed her spare pillow, and jumped in, right next to him. Kayla snuggled up, glad that he had forgiven her.

Jobe smiled and got under the covers. He glanced at the clock; it read 3:58 AM. Now that the feeling of guilt had passed from the both of them, they felt very sleepy...

**o-o-o**

The next morning, after waking up well-rested and forgiven, Kayla thought of something.

"Hey, what time were we supposed to be out of here? Like 11?"

Jobe thought for a second. "Umm, something like that."

She looked at the clock. "Well it better be 12, cause it's 11:30 now. Wow, we woke up late..."

He nodded. "That's what happens when you stay up all night. We shouldn't do that anymore."

She lightly punched him in the shoulder. "You were the one who kicked me out of the bed, and caused both of us to get insomnia."

Jobe put his hands on his hips, and in a mocking tone, he said, "Uhh, nuh uh! You left cause you thought... wait, why did you get out?"

"Cause I didn't think you would feel comfortable. Yes, I hated it, but I thought that being apart for a night or two would patch things up... I guess it doesn't work that way, huh?"

He put his hands up innocently. "Hey, you know all about this girlfriend-boyfriend stuff, not me."

Her face turned down for a second. "That's what you think. Oh sure, Tony was romantic and all at first, but that quickly faded, once he found out that I was rich and stuff. That's why I kept it hidden from you as long as I could, so you wouldn't do the same thing he did... I haven't had a real relationship since I was like, 6. Then I met you..." she said, planting a kiss on his cheek.

He blushed. "Oh... well..." His head drew a blank.

Kayla smiled, seeing that she had numbed his mind.

**o-o**

They changed, finished packing up the two bags that they had, and then she checked out of the hotel while he put the bags in the car.

But before leaving Black City, there was one more thing that Kayla wanted to do.

"C'mon! It'll just take a second!" she pleaded.

He shook his head. "No, you don't need to spend that much money on something I'll barely use. If you want to get one for yourself, fine. But not for me."

She sighed, and put on a pout face.

He noticed her game, and didn't want to play it. "That's not going to make me want one. That just makes me want to slap you."

She almost laughed. "Then do it."

Jobe didn't know if she was serious or not. But when she didn't move, or laugh if it was a joke, he contemplated actually hitting her or not.

"Nah, I'm not gonna do that." he said, even though her left cheek was really asking for it.

She sat there for a second, then gave up her attempt. "Fine. Don't. Be a wuss." she said, putting the car in drive.

"A wuss? If I think I know what that is, then you better know I'm not one. I just won't hit a girl." he said, allowing chivalry to take over his actions.

"Oh really? Would you ever fight back if someone attacked you?"

He saw where she was going with this. "I wouldn't hit a girl. I would disarm or disable one, but I wouldn't hit her." Kayla nodded.

**o-o-o**

They continued onto the path to her house, it was about half and hour away. There were no interesting sights on the way, it was their destination that was going to be interesting.

"Well, we're here." Kayla said, pulling into her driveway. The house looked the exact same, save for some more leaves on the grass. As he was about to get out, she stopped him.

"Wait... I need to tell you something. My parents will probably be kinda... mean. I don't think they'll try to beat you up or anything, but they'll probably be really pushy on the questions and stuff. So just try to answer them as best as you can... but don't lie. If you're dishonest and they find out about it, we're done, and it won't be because of you or me. But there are things that I don't want to be said. Like us sleeping in the same bed, my... advancement on you, and some of the more private conversations, that kind of stuff... I can almost guarantee you that if they find out about all that, forget it. So just keep all that our little secret, okay?" she said, winking at him.

Jobe nodded, then got out and stretched. Almost instantly, he heard Dante barking it's head off. He saw the front door open and then close, with someone stepping out of the house; the last person he wanted to see today.

It was Shannon, Kayla's mother. She didn't look happy.

**o-o-o**

_Hmm..._

_Not really sure how to use this 'diary' thing. I guess I'm supposed to write my thoughts and crap in here. Well, fine, I'll try..._

_I'll start by saying that Kayla found this book in the car when we were unpacking, and she gave it to me, to write in it and stuff. So the first thing I ought to put in her is how awesome she is._

_I'm not 100% sure of what it is, but something about her makes my hair stand up on end. I try to ignore it for the most part, but there are times when I just lose it, and I can't think straight at all. It happened earlier today. In a way, she is driving me crazy, but it's the good kind of crazy, I think. Like how she made that advance yesterday. Yeah, I know she wants to and all, and I don't like not giving her what I can, but... I'm not exactly sure what all that mess entails, and not sure I want to do something I don't even know the results of. Cause I mean, there's got to be some sort of consequence or something. You just can't do anything without there being something bad about it. But she knows, so I'm hoping that it won't happen again, so I won't have to say no again._

_Enough of that. Well, earlier today, after we got to her house, the first thing I saw was her mom, and if looks could kill, I would be writing this in my grave. Kayla was all excited and stuff, but I felt uncomfortable. I guess because I think that they hate me and stuff now, since I basically took their daughter away from them... but I'm not forcing Kayla to do anything. So after we got inside and sat down over iced tea, (which is disgusting, by the way) her dad took me into another room to talk to me..._

_He was asking me a bunch of questions. Some Kayla had guessed that he would be asking about, so I was somewhat prepared with an answer. One he asked why I kidnapped her like that, and then had the nerve to come back. That was fun trying to explain that._

_After I got to know him a little bit more, he seems like a pretty cool guy. I see where she got many of her traits, from him. She's got the same eyes that he does, but everything else is from her mom. After all the important talk was over, he started to talk about sports and work and stuff. His name is Kenny, and he owns the Exposure Laboratories. He works as the head honcho, so he gets loads of money and stuff. Every single thing that goes on in the HQ, he has to know. In fact, his phone went off several times, alerting him of texts and junk. We got to talking about some other casual stuff, so I don't think he was too mad with me._

_I dunno what went on with her mom, but she was talking to Kayla in a different room as well... probably about similar stuff, but I have a feeling that she's going to get into trouble for something._

_Lemme see if I can relive that moment..._

Kenny nodded, seemingly pleased with all of Jobe's answers. He had asked him seemingly every question he could, even some things that Jobe didn't know the answer to. He had a good sense of humor, though, so it wasn't too serious. Jobe was sure that he was going to talk it over with his wife later, so nothing could contradict with what Kayla would tell her mom. That was the hard part, so Jobe tried to reveal as little as possible, but he knew very well that Mr. Payton should know everything that went on. Well, almost everything.

"So Jobe... I know that you two have been traveling together for a couple weeks now... I also know that you have been staying the same hotel room. Would you mind telling me what exactly went on in that room?" he asked, in his deep voice.

Jobe felt his spine tingle. It was a very touchy subject for him, and had to be dealt with delicately. "Well... we never did anything, if that's what you mean. I don't really have an interest in that, and I don't think she does either."

He nodded slowly. "And neither do we... But I'm still curious. I hope you can understand, I just want to make sure that she is okay. After all, she is my daughter, and I'm sure you know the times today."

Jobe understood why, he just wished that they trusted him more. "Well, yes, I know. More than one time some wacko tried to mess with us, and I've had to knock them out."

Mr. Payton's breath was caught in his throat. "What? You mean that you two almost got mugged or something?"

Jobe shrugged. "Well, not exactly. I mean, when we were in Undella Town, there was this surf shop that I was supposed to be working at, and she wanted to bring me lunch. Well it turns out that I wasn't going to work there, so I left early, but she didn't know. After Kayla asked the counter guy if I was there, he wouldn't tell her without money. Of course, she didn't want to pay him, so she tried to leave, but the guy wouldn't let her. I think you can tell where this went."

"It's more dangerous now that I thought. Now... about your... ability. You haven't shown it to many people, I hope. I am guessing that Kayla knows? And she's not afraid of you?"

Jobe almost smiled. This was a perfect opportunity to slap Kenny in the face. "No, I haven't. And I don't think she's afraid because she trusts me."

He let the words settle in, then Mr. Payton's back stiffened. He just realized that he had been insulted. "Ah... hmm... well, yes." was his reply. He couldn't really think of a good response to that. "I heard that you scared Mrs. Payton by it at first. I have a feeling that she's gonna want to talk to you about that."

Jobe nodded, he was ready for anything. Almost anything. "Yeah, I figured that. I also know that you two probably won't want me to see Kayla anymore, but... just know that I love her, and I would do anything to protect and support her. I don't want any harm to come to her. And I know that you guys are probably really mad at me for whisking her away from y'all, and I understand if you don't want her to leave with me again, but... I didn't plan on taking her. She said that she wanted to go. She also said that you were letting her go. But, if she was lying, don't get her in trouble for it. I don't want to be a tattletale." he said, trying to get on Kenny's good side.

"We'll see. I'll have to talk to Shannon and Kayla about it." he said. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" he said.

The door opened, and a little blond girl, about 8 years old, came in with a nervous smile. She glanced at Jobe, then Mr. Payton.

"Hey daddy, mommy wants you." she said, turning to face Jobe. "And you, Kayla wants to see you, too." she said, sticking her tongue out at Jobe, then walking out.

**o-o**

Once everyone was back in the living room, there were some awkward glances, between Mrs. Payton and Jobe, then Kayla and himself. She crooked a finger at him, to follow her up the stairs, and into a room on the left side. It was just a basic room, nothing too fancy. There was a shelf that had a couple trophies on it, a dresser, and another door that apparently led to a closet. The walls were colored blue, the bed was blue, but the fan was a neon orange.

"Uhh, who's room is this? And why does that fan contrast with the rest of the room colors?" he asked her.

She put her hands on her hips. "It's my room. That kind of orange is my favorite color, and blue is my second. But if the whole room was that color, it'd be kinda weird looking, so blue is a better choice." she said, sitting on the bed. Kayla patted a spot next to her, for him to sit there too. Obviously she wanted to talk to him about something.

He shrugged, and sat down next to her. "Well... what's up?" he said, noting her troubled expression.

"Hmm? Oh... well, just thinking..." she answered.

After a few more minutes of thought, she seemed to be ready to tell him something.

"Okay, look... I'm sure you had an interesting talk with my dad... so, what did he say?" she inquired.

"Well, you mean what did he ask? Mostly stuff about the trip. I don't know what you were talking about, he wasn't that hard on me. It's your mom I'm afraid of. Anyway, it was mostly about stuff that we did while we were alone. I didn't tell him anything, except that we didn't do 'anything'." he replied.

Kayla nodded, glad that he didn't reveal too much. "Good... cause if you told him, that would have been it."

She looked around the room for a minute, until another thought came to mind.

"Hmm... hey Jobe? When did you plan to leave again?"

He thought about it a minute. Yeah, he wanted to relax for once, but he was afraid that if the police came here, everyone would be in trouble. "Well, no longer than I have to. I don't know if you can even come with me this time. That was one drawback of coming back here, but I know that you miss your family and all, I just wish I did..." he said, almost drawing a tear.

"Wait, you mean you don't have any family? Did they all perish or something?"

He gave her a sideways glance. "Uhh, amnesia, remember?"

She slapped herself on the forehead. "Duh. I forgot... Man, that must be hard. So... in essence... Dr. Wellstep is like your dad to you, isn't he?" Jobe nodded slowly. "And I guess... I'm really the only other person you know..."

Again, he nodded in confirmation. "Yep. The only one."

After he said that, Kayla got an idea.

"Hey, do you have that book with you? Why don't you take a look at that stuff that Wellstep wrote in it when we saw him last?" she asked him.

Jobe had completely forgotten about that. "Oh yeah... I think I left it in the the car. Lemme go get it." he said, exiting out of the house and dashing to the SUV. He opened the side door, and unzipped his bag. Jobe dug through a couple layers of clothes before he pulled out his prize. He shut the door and ran back inside, and up the stairs.

"Here it is..." he said, panting.

Kayla picked it up. "Cool... umm... you open it." she said, setting it back down.

Jobe slowly opened the book. Nothing had changed in the first few, except the list of contents. Right at the bottom, there was a new one, labeled: HOW TO TRANSFER POWERS.

Jobe knew that this was new. He remembered asking the Doc about it, and eagerly flipped to the page.

What they saw was definitely not what they expected. It wasn't anything written out, it was a crudely drawn image, but the meaning was clear. It showed two human-like stick figures, in a strange position, with little speech balloons, designating some parts of the diagram.

Kayla looked at it, shocked. "This? That's what you have to do?" she said.

Jobe shrugged. "I... guess so... Wait a minute... he said that it was a theory, he wasn't completely sure that's what you... had to do."

"Well... wanna try it?" she said, giving him a naughty glance.

"Kayla! We can't do that, and you know it." he said, surprised that she would suggest such a thing.

She shoved him lightly. "I know, I'm just kidding. Though it would be cool to have the same power as you, I guess it's like a huge responsibility and all that crap. So you can keep it for now." she said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Easy, not at your house. If they walked into this room and found that, not good." he said, casually flipping through the pages, until he reached the lat one.

"Hey Kayla, check this out." he said, pointing to something that Wellstep had written, on the back page. It read:

I hope that when you read this, Jobe, you are Jobe and not some evil mastermind who defeated you and capture this article from you. This is intensely private information, so do not disclose this data to anyone else, except for Kayla, if you so trust her.

If you can recall, we previously talked about how I destroyed the failed experiments. Well, this is false. They are still alive, albeit trapped in stasis tubes. They cannot escape from them without help from and outside source. Now, there location, is right below the plot of ground where my laboratory used to stand. You probably did not notice it when you found this book, but there is a staircase leading down to a secret segment of my lab. I cannot stop you from going down there, but if you so do, I strongly urge you not to release those specimens. Until I can probably disarm them, they are approximately 1692.831 times stronger than the previous form that they held before. I used to have an antidote that I was going to use on them to numb their strength, but apparently it got destroyed in the fire. So until I am able to recreate that formula, and perhaps we can meet up there at one time, I request that you do not go down into that chamber. I will contact you if I finally reproduce that dastardly potion, and we can go down there together and view the monsters with our own eyes.

Locus Signelli,

Cornelius D Wellstep

Jobe read this, and wasn't very surprised. He didn't expect that Wellstep would have left the other experiments alive and well.

"Kayla! Do you know what this means? It means that I'm not the only human Shapeshifter! Just the only sane one." he said, somewhat eager to finally find someone of his own kind.

"Yeah, but... you can't see any of them until Wellstep says."

"Who gives a crap about that? So long as I know... it makes me feel better..." he said, laying down on her bed.

She lounged next to him. "So... you're really happy now, right?" Kayla was going to make her move now, while he was on top of the world.

He nodded. "Yep, I sure am..." he said, beaming.

She took a deep breath. "Okay then... there's something important I want to ask you..." she said. Jobe looked at her curiously.

Right at that moment, her courage failed, and she chickened out, her breath escaping her lungs. "Gah... Never mind, I can't ask you right now..." she said.

"What is it? You want to tell me something, or ask me a question? You can tell me anything, remember that." he said, rubbing her shoulder.

Kayla still didn't feel like telling him quite yet. "No, you'll say no anyway. Don't worry about it..." Although she wished that she could follow her own advice.

Jobe had a feeling that he knew what she wanted to ask him. "Well, whenever you feel like you want to tell me again, I'm here."

"I know..."

"Say, that reminds me. What did your mom ask you? You asked me about what your dad said, so what did your mom say?" he asked her.

Kayla didn't respond at first. "Huh? Oh, yeah... she just wanted to know the same stuff that dad did. 'Cept I asked her some questions too. And a lot about you, too."

Jobe nodded. "Ahh... well I asked your dad a couple, too. He responded somewhat favorably, I guess. He was sorta indifferent, he said I needed to ask your mom. Eh..." he said, getting a chill down his spine.

She giggled. "Mmhmm..."

"What?"

"Nothing."

**o-o**

Soon after that, they heard a knock on the door, and both of her parents stepped inside, closing the door behind them.

Mrs. Payton started. "Well... I'm sure that this has been an interesting day for you two. So many questions asked, and not necessarily all of them answered, yet."

Kenny continued for her. "So we're going to answer them for you. What is the biggest one you have now?" he asked both of them.

Jobe and Kayla looked at each other. Neither was entirely sure on the same question, but Jobe certainly had one that went unanswered.

He cleared his throat nervously. "Well... one is whether I'm still allowed to see Kayla or not..."

Shannon took a deep breath. "Me and Kenny talked it over, and... we decided that it is all up to her. We can't say yes or no on this matter."

Both of the teens eyes lit up. "Really? So that means I can go with him wherever he's going?" she asked.

Mr. Payton answered that. "Well... now that's different. We don't want you just running around with a criminal, do we? No, that wouldn't be good..."

"But he's not a criminal, he just did something illegal..."

Shannon pulled out a pocket dictionary. "Let's see... criminal: Someone who does something against the law. Jobe killed someone, breaking the law. So he is a criminal."

Kayla didn't want to go down without a fight. "Oh, come on! Use that logic that I know you have! Is a Christian that sins once a sinner? No. Only if they keep doing it, and Jobe doesn't keep breaking the law."

"Enough! Jobe is a wanted man, and that's that. We can't have you running around with someone like that when he could be shot at, and you both could be killed! It's not happening, you are staying here, and if Jobe wants to leave, he can and will. But you will not go with him." Kenny said, ending the argument there.

"But I've been fine for the last 3 weeks! We know what to watch out for. He even got a makeover, so they wouldn't recognize him. In fact, he met face-to-face with police, and they didn't know it. And you can't tell me that he won't protect me if he does get caught, which he won't." she argued.

"Kayla! You are not going with him! So what if you're fine with him for 100 weeks? There will be one time when they eventually catch him. What are you going to do when we're not there to bail you out? And we can't even do that for him."

She realized that she wasn't going to win, but there was one more thing that would settle the fight, and in favor of their own side. It was just a matter of how they would react.

Kayla took a deep breath. "Okay, I didn't want to tell you this yet, but...

**_o-o-o_**

**WHAT THE FUUUUUU-**

**Okay, seriously? I haven't blessed y'all with a cliffhanger in a while. And this is a goooood one.**

**Anyways, check out my forum once again (link on my profile), tell me what you thought of THIS chapter. And ask me one more question: I'm thinking about writing a Rated M story, showing an explicit side to this story. Would y'all read it, or am I wasting my time?**


	16. That was close

**A/N: ****This song is 'Mama's Song' by Carrie Underwood. No, I can't stand Carrie, but sadly, it fits this chapter well.**

**Ages 16+. Contains reproductive act references. Also, answering a massive cliffhanger.**

_{- BU- - - - -M -} _5 dashes.

**RECAP:**

**Well, the couple had a rather hard time getting to sleep alone, so they eventually patched things up, and they did end up sleeping in the big bed, instead of apart. When they woke up, they packed up and headed out, to Nimbasa. Once they got to Kayla's house, she warned him about her parents. They went inside, and the two separated, so they could talk to her parents. Jobe went with her dad, and she with her mom. They talked for a few minutes, then Kay's little sister came in, and told her daddy that Shannon wanted him, and that Kayla wanted Jobe. The couple then went into her room, and they chatted for a few minutes, until Mr. and Mrs. Payton came back in, and explained the final question that Jobe had. They said yes, and then no to the one that Kayla asked, but she tried to convince them that he wasn't a criminal, but they wouldn't have it. So she had one last chance to change their mind, which is yet to be revealed...**

**o-o-o**

Kayla took a deep breath. "Okay, I didn't want to tell you this yet, but..." She paused, hoping that the courage hadn't fled her yet.

Her parents were anxious to hear what their daughter had to say. "Well, what is it? You can't be..." Shannon went on, fearing the worst.

Kayla shook her head. "No, I'm not pregnant. Nothing like that... no, it's... me and Jobe, we're... we're... engaged..." she said quickly.

Jobe almost choked on his own spit when he heard that. He knew that she was lying, because neither him nor her had proposed to either. He tried to act like it was true, but knew that it would be a hard lie to pull off.

Shannon's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what had just been told to her. "What? You... him... I... I can't even..." A similar reaction was on Kenny's face.

"Kayla! Are you sure... that this is the smartest thing to do right now? I mean, You've only known him for like a month now, and you didn't even ask either of us for permission..." her father said.

She was almost to the point of tears. "Dad! That's exactly what I'm tired of you guys getting on me for! I can take care of myself now. I know what I'm doing, and all the good and bad things about it. You don't have to keep watching over me like that. I'm not a little kid anymore."

Her mom still was in denial. "No... are you serious? This isn't a joke? I can't believe that you would do such a thing without even telling us first!"

"But I'm telling you now. I could've never even come back here, but I wanted to let you know that I was okay, and just fine with him. I didn't even have to come back here at all, but I didn't want to keep you in suspense like that." Kayla said, trying not to make her parents too upset.

"And you were going to keep this a secret even longer? You said that you didn't want to tell us now. Oh, Kayla, I don't like this..." her mom warned.

"No one said that I'm too happy about it either. I mean, yeah, it's a scary thing to think about. But you're still treating me like a little kid. I'm almost a grown woman now."

Kenny wasn't showing as much shock as his wife was, but it was still evident. "A little kid? We let you run around with him for the past 3 weeks, alone, and you think a little kid is allowed to do that? You're not even 19 yet. You can't get married now. And I still don't completely trust Jobe."

"I know you don't. But I do. Look, he doesn't have a family. None. He has no memory of his old self. Nowhere to live. No money to live on, and no job. What do you expect me to do? You won't trust him in our house, and I've been supporting him on my allowance. Yeah, he messed up once, but he knows it, and he's trying to fix it. Doesn't everybody? I remember when you hit a guy's parked car once, and just drove off, no note or anything. No one's perfect, but Jobe is as close as I found. And you can't adopt him, cause I can't date my step-brother. So I'm going to marry him, and he'll finally have a family. He'll have someone to call 'Mom' or 'Dad'..." Kayla said, a tear running down her cheek.

Her speech was very emotional, even to Jobe. He felt his eyes get wet. He also saw her parent's eyes water too. He started to sniffle, but he didn't want to show it. Kayla started to crumble, so he hugged her in support, right as she started to sob into his shoulder.

They were still kind of disgusted. "So Jobe... when did you propose?" Mr. Payton asked.

His mind was blank. He had not prepared for any question like that. "Umm, I think it was about a week ago..." he lied. He felt Kayla nudge him to tell him to just roll with it.

Kenny nodded. "Ah... and how do you plan to support my daughter?"

"Oh... um... well... I guess I didn't really think of that yet..." Jobe answered.

He shook his head. "Nope... that's not the way it's gonna work. You will find work, and a job that is enough to support two people. If you're going to go ahead and get married, then you're also going to learn how hard it is in the real world. I am not going to supply any more money to Kayla's account, so I suggest that you use the money that remains wisely. Fine... let this marriage go on. But do not look to us as family." he said, standing up out of the chair that he was sitting in.

Kayla heard that, and didn't like it. Her plan didn't go as expected. "No! Wait! Don't shun us!" she said, but they had already left the room. She sank back into his arms, still sobbing. "Oh Jobe, this isn't the way I wanted it to turn out... I thought they would be happy about it... but now they hate us..."

Jobe shook his head, still comforting her. "Kayla, they don't hate us, they hate me. And don't give up your family just for me... Look, we need to talk about this... Okay, first, that was definitely not what I was expecting. Second, why did you lie to them? You told me not to lie, so why did you?"

He had to wait until she calmed down before he got an answer. "I don't know... I know that I just couldn't stand them telling me that I couldn't be with you anymore. I told you that they could be old-fashioned. Don't you think they're being too strict?"

He shrugged. "Well, I don't know. I don't have parents. So I'm not exactly sure... I don't think they're trying to treat you like a little kid, I think they're just trying to protect you. I understand why they don't trust me. But I also think they're right... it is a bad influence for me to be around you this much. So, even though I hate it, I think I have to leave. You're going to go out there, and tell them either it was a lie, or that we're not getting married right now. And I'm not even sure I want to do that now..."

That solution seemed logical to her. "But... do you really have to leave? Where will you go? You don't have any money or anything."

Jobe sighed. They had just gotten themselves into a very sticky predicament. "Alright... look. Go out there, now. Tell them that it's off. Tell them we're going to wait a while longer. A long while. See if they want to come back in and talk about it."

She nodded, kissed him, then said, "I don't want you to leave..." before getting up and leaving the room.

Jobe was alone, lying on her bed, thinking about what had just happened. _Engaged? What was she thinking..._

He sat there for a couple more minutes, deep in thought, trying to solve the puzzle. But it seemed that it was missing pieces...

Then she and her dad walked back in.

Kenny took a deep breath, then started, "Alright... Kayla told me that you two changed your mind?" They both nodded in response. "Well... that doesn't change much. Then here's what we're going to do. Jobe, you need to leave for a while. You can stay here for the night, but tomorrow, you have to get out. Kayla is going to stay here, until she gets some sense back into her noggin. You can come back in about 2 weeks or so... that should give her plenty of time to think the matter over, and really decide if she wants this or not. Now-"

Kayla cut him off. "Daddy, I've been trying to tell you, this is what I want. Why does he have to leave, though? He doesn't have anywhere to stay."

"My mind is made up. And he can't stay here because there's no room. Jobe'll have to sleep in Nicholas' room, and maybe he can sleep on the couch or something. And you need to be away from him for a while. I knew that letting you drive him there was a bad idea, and even then, you didn't obey me. I ought to punish you for that, but... this is going to be enough. So tomorrow, Jobe will leave at the crack of dawn. You may as well say goodbye now, because you won't see him until he comes back." Kenny said.

Kayla turned to Jobe, again, tears growing in her eyes. She managed to break in two words, even through her choked sobbing. "Goodbye, Jobe..." she said, getting up and leaving the room. Then a door shut, probably the bathroom.

Now Jobe was alone with her dad, and one of those stinking silences approached them. Kenny shook his head. "I hope you see how much trouble you've caused." he said, before getting up and leaving. Jobe almost wanted to argue that, but realized that he was on bad enough ground with them anyway, and that wouldn't help. Mr. Payton was wrong, though. Jobe didn't cause all of this, her parents did. They were just fine without them, and a not-100%-wise decision led into this. If they had never gone back to her house, it wouldn't have been a problem.

He wanted to go and comfort Kayla, but he knew that if he went into that bathroom with her, he'd be kicked out on the spot. So he asked which room was Nicholas', shut the door, and plopped himself on the bed, then cried himself to sleep, even though it was still in the afternoon.

**o-o-o**

Jobe had slept through the rest of the day, including through dinner, although no one felt like eating anyway. He woke up, in the middle of the night, at about 11:38 PM. His head was still groggy, but then he heard a knock on his door, and pretended to still be asleep. Since his eyes were closed, he couldn't tell who came in.

He heard the door open, then the light footsteps of someone coming closer to him. He just hoped it wasn't her dad with a knife, about to stab him or anything. Jobe didn't dare open his eyes...

Just then, he felt a light tap on his shoulder, and that cause him to 'awake'. He tried to make it look like he was still asleep, but he dropped his cover when he saw that it was Kayla.

"Oh... what're you doing out of bed?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Well... I felt that I needed to talk to you, but mom and dad wouldn't let me, so I had to wait until they were asleep to come in here. Are you... okay? You look like you've been crying..." she said.

Indeed, he had been, even though it was probably during his slumber. "You have been too. Alright, c'mon and sit. What do you want to talk about?"

She hit him lightly. "Today, you dummy. Look... I know I probably shocked you when I said that... I just don't want them to tell me that I can't see you anymore. I don't think that they know what this feels like... Even being away from you for those 8 hours or so was driving me crazy. I can't imagine what 2 weeks is going to be like..."

"Aww... you can't keep your mind on me the whole time you're awake, Kayla. It's not good." he said.

She nodded. "I know... hey, do you know why I said engaged and not something else?" Jobe shook his head. "Oh... well, the law says that if a couple is about to or already is married, then essentially, they don't have to listen to their parents, even if they're under 21. Normally, if they're single, parent's rule is law. So that was one reason. Apparently they didn't know that, because if we really were engaged, then they couldn't do anything about it."

That was a good plan, but there was one big problem with it. "Hmm... that sounds pretty good on the outside, but... like they said, if we were to get married, you would've been kicked out of the family. I won't marry you if you do. You're not going to give up your whole family for me. We're going to do this the right way, with their support. Even if we have to start all over." he said, kissing her on the forehead.

"I guess so... no, I don't want to leave them, but I don't want to leave you, either. Oh, why does this have to be so complicated? Why won't they just say yes and go on with it? What's stopping them?"

Even with Jobe's rudimentary knowledge of family matters, he had the answer. "I know exactly what it is. It's love. They love you, and they don't want any harm to come to you. They don't completely trust me yet, and that's what I have to change. Nothing you can do can affect that. So I need to listen to what they say, and obey it. So, sadly, yes, I'm going to leave tomorrow... You do need to be away from me for a while. Even though it sounds horrible right now, it'll get better. Just occupy your mind with other things. Go play out in the yard with Dante, go swimming, read a book, anything." he suggested.

She sighed. "Yeah, easier said than done. I can do all that stuff... but it's all crap if it's not with you..." she said, falling into his arms again.

Now Jobe didn't know what to do. No matter what he said, she still would give him a reason not to do what he knew was right. "Kayla... it won't be that bad... I promise. And look... show me how to use that cellulite phone or whatever, and you can call me anytime you feel like you want to. But if you do, make sure that they can't hear you. Go do it in the woods or something. And, this'll be a good opportunity for me to go clear my police record. That way, I'll have something to bring back, a new me. A me that they will accept."

She stopped sobbing. "So... you're going to let me call you everyday, whenever I want to? That's supposed to ease the pain? And you're going to go clear your record, so that when you come back, you can say that you're not a criminal anymore? That's the plan?"

He shrugged. "I suppose so. It's far from perfect, but it's the only way I see..." he said, trying to think of another solution.

"You're probably right... just be prepared to answer that phone at anytime, cause you don't know when I'm gonna call you..."

He nodded. "Anytime, so long as you don't get caught."

She smiled, then let it fade. There was a long silence between them, lasting a good 5 minutes or so.

"Well... do you feel better now?" Jobe asked her.

"Yeah. I do. But I don't think they're going to let me see you before you leave tomorrow, so I'm just trying to enjoy what time I have left." she said, resting her head on his chest.

"I understand that, but I've got to get some sleep sometime. Why don't you go on back to bed now? I'm sure you're tired from today too." he said, lifting her off of him.

She yawned. "I guess so... well, goodnight, Jobe." she said, giving him a quick kiss. Jobe closed his eyes, as she headed for the closed door.

Kayla paused. This was the last that she was going to see Jobe for a whole 14 days, plus. She couldn't let him go that easily. She quietly tiptoed back over to his bed, and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey Jobe... there was another reason I came in here... well, all these nights, we've been sleeping together, and, well... I don't know if I can sleep alone... would you... either let me sleep in here with you, or you sleep in my bed?" she asked him.

Jobe was almost out, and then he felt that tap on his shoulder. "Umm... not so sure that's a good idea, especially in your own house. I'm not even sure I can get to sleep either. But, we have to be able to prove to parents that I don't just want to get into bed with you, and I don't mean just sleeping. They probably think that's all that I want. So... no, Sorry..." he said, although he hated not giving her what she wanted, especially when she already had about everything she wanted. Except for him.

She looked sad, but didn't cry. "I know... you're right, it would not be good if my dad woke you up and saw me in bed with you... nevermind then. Can you give me one last goodnight, er, goodbye kiss?"

Jobe smiled, and gave her what she wanted. It was longer than usual, cause it would be their last for a while. It seemed like hours, but after a couple seconds, she left the room and him, alone, in the dark.

Kayla started to tear up as she left the room, not even noticing a figure standing behind her.

**o-o**

"_You're kidding?"_ Kenny whispered. Shannon had gotten out of bed, and looked in Kayla's room to see if she was sleeping, but when she wasn't in her bed, there was only one other place she could have been. So Mrs. Payton put her ear up to the door, and eavesdropped on the couple's conversation.

"_Yes! I heard him say that he doesn't want to have sex with her. He's really not looking for that... maybe we misjudged him." _She whispered to her husband.

"_I still don't know... what else did they say?"_

"_Well, something about him leaving. I guess he's actually going to listen to you, and leave. Then I think he said that he wants to clear his criminal record, so we would trust him more... I don't know for sure, but it sounds like that he wants to prove us wrong... that he's not all bad as we think." _She said.

He held his hands up. _"Hey, I had a conversation with him, and he didn't sound all too bad to me. It was when Kayla said that they were engaged, that really changed my mind, cause he asked me if he could marry her. I told him that it was rather early, and I didn't think that Kayla would even want to yet... So I guess he was trying to find out what our reaction would be... and can you believe that he has no idea how he would've supported her? I still think that he's shady, and he's got to do something drastic to change my mind."_

Shannon understood what he was saying, but it didn't quite add up. _"Kenny! He just turned down coitus with Kayla. You know how much any other boy his age would've hopped at that chance, especially with her. That takes willpower to say no to that. I know if I was him, I would've done it at the hotel room. He didn't. I checked her, and no, nothing happened. I'm starting to believe him. He really loves her, and he's not interested in what boys his age normally are. He really wants to clear that police record, he really wants to prove to us that he's worth letting Kayla go out with. And you're not willing to give him the chance."_

"_Alright, look. Here's what I do and don't want. Yes, I want her to be happy. I want her to be safe and sound, no matter where she is. We both want that. Now, what I don't want, is for her to waste all of her money. I don't want her to come back here pregnant, to find that he ditched her a while back, and __doesn't want anything else to with her. I don't want both of them to become __reliant on me for food on the table. He needs to know, that he can't do anything else with her without having a good paying job, clearing out that record, and being responsible. When he gets all that done, then we'll talk." _Kenny said, finally planting his view on the subject.

Shannon nodded, agreeing with most of what he said. _"Alright... yes, he does need to do those things. But here's the deal: You've told him that he needs to get away from her for a while. That's going to drive Kayla crazy. You know it. __So you can deal with her emotional breakdowns, tantrums, depressions, whatever, because you said he had to leave, not me. Second, do you know how long it is going to take to clear that record? If he's found guilty or whatever, he'll probably spend 2 or more decades in jail for that. I won't have a 38-year old woman still living in my house, waiting for him to come home. Third, do you know just how hard jobs are to get today? Maybe what you could do... is make him work for you. That way, you can keep an eye on him, he makes money, and earns your respect." _She proposed.

Kenny didn't like that idea. _"A criminal in my company? No. We've got such a good reputation right now, I'm not throwing it down the toilet just for Kayla's little crush."_

"_Kenny, that boy almost became your son-in-law. You really need to think this through, instead of tossing every idea out the window like that. Look, I'm tired, just give the subject the pillow treatment." _She said, before laying her head down, and going to la-la land.

He grunted, but he couldn't sleep until this matter was solved.

**o-o-o**

Jobe woke up about an hour before dawn. He didn't sleep very well last night, for obvious reasons. So many things were in his mind all at the same time, it was hard to just throw it all out and rest. He sat up in the bed, rubbing his face. _Daaaanngg..._

He got out of the bed, and dug around in his backpack for some clothes that were suitable to live in for the next 2 weeks. Kayla had always done the laundry, even at the hotels. Essentially, they were husband and wife in all but name.

After he got dressed, he stretched a little, then sat back down on the bed, and awaited the sour hour to come.

**o-o**

Kayla also woke up about an hour before sunrise. However, she knew that if she left her bedroom to see him, there would be even more trouble, so she just laid in bed, unable to turn the tide of events for the better.

After a whole hour past, so now the clock read 6:08 AM, Kayla started to wonder why her parent's door hadn't opened yet. Her door was open, and their room was straight across from hers, so she could see it from her bed. _Not unless..._

Kayla jumped out of bed, and ran over to her little brother's room. The door was closed, so she quietly turned the knob, and opened the door.

**o-o**

Jobe couldn't find himself to fall asleep again, so he sat up and waited, waited for his 'execution'. He sat there for a good hour, before he heard the handle on the door turn slowly. _And here we go..._

He closed his eyes, and heard the door completely open up, then...

...felt someone hugging him.

Jobe's eyes flashed open, he saw and felt Kayla, obviously ecstatic that he hadn't left yet.

"Jobe! You haven't left yet. It's already 10 past 6, and my parents haven't kicked you out yet... I wonder why..." she pondered.

Jobe heard an alarm clock go off. "I don't know, but you need to get out of here. You know that they could come in at any minute, and if they find you in here, you're gonna get in more trouble." he said, trying to pry her off of him.

She let go. "I know... I just can't stand the thought of you leaving..."

Jobe smiled. "Kayla, you're just going to have to work through this. I'll be back. You know that. Now... go back to bed, and I'll see you in 2 weeks." he said, giving her a REAL final kiss goodbye.

She slowly stepped out, waving as she did so. He waved back.

**o-o**

"Kenny! Shut that alarm clock off! Hey wait a minute... It's past 6! You were supposed to kick him out 12 minutes ago, aren't you going to go do it?" Shannon said, reaching over and deactivating the alarm.

He shrugged. "I'm not so sure anymore... I stayed up all night last night, thinking. You are right. We should give him another chance... All that you said last night, makes sense now..."

Shannon sat up, surprised that he had just said that. "Oh... well... in that case, how're you going to tell them he's not leaving?"

"I'm not. They're smart, they'll figure it out themselves."

She laid back down, glad that she finally reached to her husband. "Hmm... I know the real reason why you're letting him stay."

He looked over at her. "And that would be?"

"Cause you're afraid of Kayla. You wouldn't be able to handle her depressions and meltdowns. You knew that if you broke my heart, you couldn't handle it either, so that's why you didn't do it to me." she said, smiling.

"No, I'm not. She's my daughter, and she can sit up in that room for the next 2 weeks, and I won't have to worry about it." he said.

"Then what's the real reason?"

He didn't answer immediately. "The real reason? Well..."

"Well what?"

He cleared his throat nervously. "Well... like I said, I thought this through, and maybe I came to a quick conclusion. But that doesn't mean-"

She cut him off. "Ah! Nope, that's not why. I know why, it's because you actually like him. You would've loved to have him for a son-in-law. He is a loving, caring, respectful and responsible young man, and you know it. You just couldn't bring yourself to admitting it in front of him."

His wife hit the nail on the head. "Okay, fine. Yes, I do think he is respectful and all that crap. But what really made me mad, was her. Her being the rebellious teenager that I didn't think she was. Now, what made you change your mind? I thought you hated him more than I did."

She shook her head. "I did, I'm not sure what made me change my view of him... maybe when I was talking to her about it, she just seemed so sure of everything... Kenny, you know it. He's perfect for her. There's nothing wrong with her having a first relationship. I have a feeling that it will be good for her, too... And don't you go lying now. I know very well that you disobeyed your own parents to see me. You told me that you broke out of your own house, so you could come and watch fireworks one night. There is no difference between you and her. Actually, she's more behaved than you were at 18. I trust in her judgment, and I've examined him closely. Even when I first met him, he didn't look like he wanted to hurt anybody. He just wanted help. And, shame on me, I didn't give much to him..."

"..." Mr. Payton didn't have much to say after that. "Okay. Okay, fine. Maybe he is perfect for her. Maybe what's telling me that this won't turn out good, is that the perfect partner doesn't come with the first one. 'Love at first sight', so they say. Well, this is her first sight, and I just want her to very sure that she's not blinded by that special power of his. Cause I mean really, weren't there boys in your school that you liked, and why? It was either his dad's job, a car, money, looks, something. Well, Jobe has no dad, no car, no money, and all he's got are those looks and that power. And you can't marry someone just on that. Someone could be the most handsome person and the world, and they're a serial killer. Jobe has killed someone, just because of anger... and that bothers me..."

Shannon shook her head. "He didn't kill just because of anger. If Kayla told me right, then that criminal threatened to hurt her, and that was enough for him to act in self-defense."

He thought about that for a second. "Well... if that's the case, then I've got some bad news for you. If he plans to clear that criminal record, he's going to jail for a good 10 years, at least. You're going to have to tell him to do something else."

"Why do I have to tell him? You're the one that keeps changing your mind. You're going to have to something in this situation. Go tell him that he doesn't have to leave right now, but be quiet, cause Kayla's probably sleeping."

Kenny sighed, then got out of bed. He opened his door, and saw Kayla, across the hallway, sleeping in her bed. He smiled, then headed over to Nick's room. _And... here we go._

He turned the knob, and entered the room.

**o-o**

Jobe knew that it was her parent's alarm clock that went off, so it was now inevitable that he was leaving. They were about 20 minutes late, but it didn't matter. He was ready.

Then the doorknob started to turn, and the door opened. Mr. Payton stepped in, then shut it behind him.

**o-o**

Shannon decided that she was going to tell Kayla that Jobe didn't have to leave. At least, leave without her. So she exited out of her bedroom, and saw that Kayla was sitting up in bed, obviously awake.

"Kayla, you awake? I want to tell you something." she said, walking into her room and closing the door.

**_o-o-o_**

**Okay, Imma gonna cut off here, for a couple reasons. No, it's not a true cliffhanger but it's close to one. And, in the next scene, I'm going to split the two scenes into one, in a weird way. So to give you a heads up, next one is going to be a little confusing.**

**Now... what'd you think? No, she's not pregnant. No, she's not getting married (right now). Tell me if I shocked you or not... or if I made you cry, cause you wanted to see a Mini-Me Shapeshifter...**

**And, HEY! I don't see anymore traffic to my FORUMS! There could be deadly secrets buried in there... And I created a new poll, check that out.**


	17. Look at this

**A/N: ****The song is "Photograph" by Nickelback.**

**Ages 13+. Contains summer heat and little siblings.**

**Ahhh... I told you to be prepared for a weird style layout, but I decided to scratch it, and go with my original plan.**

_{- BU- - - -M -} _4 dashes. (yep they're getting closer!)

**RECAP:**

**Kayla revealed her secret, which turned out to be that the couple was engaged. They argued it over for a while, until they told Jobe that he would have to leave in the morning. Then they left Kayla alone with Jobe so they could talk. He told her that she would have to tell her parents that they had changed their minds, so her dad came back in, and he finished Jobe's sentence. He told Kayla to go to bed, so she said goodbye, and Mr. Payton left Jobe in the dark, only for him to fall asleep in the middle of the day. Later that night, Kayla snuck into his room so they could talk one last time, before he had to leave. Her parents were talking it over in their own bedroom. After she went back to bed, Jobe fell asleep, only to wake up at 6 o' clock. Kenny hadn't come in to tell him to leave yet, though. Kayla woke up about the same time, and went back into his room again. Meanwhile, her parents were talking over the matter again. Kenny came to the conclusion that Jobe wasn't all that bad, as he had first thought. So we left off with each parent telling the teens that he didn't have to leave after all.**

**o-o-o**

Kenny was surprised that Jobe was already dressed and ready to go. He wasn't sure how he would react, but Mr. Payton hoped that Jobe wouldn't get mad or anything, for telling him that he had to leave earlier.

"Well... You know I'm in here to kick you out, right?" he decided to poke him a bit by leading him on.

Jobe nodded slowly, standing up and heaving his bag over his shoulder.

Kenny looked him up and down. "I assume you're ready?"

Again, Jobe nodded, just wanting to get this over with. "Yep. Let's go."

Mr. Payton smiled, and opened the door, leading the way out. Then an idea popped in his mind. "Go and meet me on the porch, I have to do something first."

Jobe obeyed, and shut the front door behind him. Quickly, Kenny knocked on Kayla's bedroom door. He knew that his wife had gone in there, to tell her about it, but he hoped that she hadn't yet.

"Shannon! Get out here for a second." he said, and Mrs. Payton came out. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Have you told her yet?"

She shook her head. "No, but she is definitely curious what I was going to say."

"Good... now, tell her that he already left. I'm gonna tell Jobe to ring the doorbell, and let Kayla answer it. Oh, and have a camera ready, to catch her expression." he said, walking back down the stairs.

Shannon nodded, then headed back into her room.

**o-o**

"Hey Kayla, that was your dad. He said... that Jobe already left... I'm sorry." she said, hoping that she didn't lay it down too hard.

Kayla's eyes started to water, and her face fell back into her pillow, quietly sobbing. Her mom left the room, and gave a thumbs up to her husband, who was back inside.

**o-o-o**

The plan wasn't supposed to happen until after lunch, but Kayla didn't feel like eating. She just stayed in bed for the rest of the morning.

Kenny knocked quietly on the front door, to let Jobe know that it was time. He nodded to Shannon, who ran upstairs to Kayla's room.

Mrs. Payton sat on her bed, watching her daughter. She wasn't sleeping, but she wasn't really awake, either.

"Hey Kayla, you need to get out of bed. It's already past 12:30, and-"

Bing...bong...

"Oh, why don't you answer that? It'll wake you up. It's probably just the mail, I think your father ordered something." she said, walking out of her room.

Kayla slowly sat up, still depressed from her boyfriend leaving. Yes, it would be better for him to go and clear the record and all, but she just wished that he hadn't killed the man at all...

She changed into some suitable clothes, obviously colored black. Black t-shirt, and black jean shorts. She even put on a dash of dark makeup.

Kayla headed downstairs, right as the doorbell rang again.

"I'M COMING, I'M..."

Her words stuck in her mouth, as she opened the door to find Jobe, with his arms open wide.

Kayla's frustration quickly faded. She let out a quick shriek, then fell into his arms.

Her parents walked up behind her. "Daddy, you're letting me say goodbye one more time, before he leaves?"

Kenny tilted his head. "Umm... well, no."

Now Kayla was confused. "Well if I'm not saying goodbye, then what's he..."

Finally she found out what was going on. It was a trick that her parents probably thought of. But Kayla didn't care, so long as Jobe wasn't leaving.

They all went back inside. She was still ecstatic, but tried to hide it. "Y'know, I'm not mad at you for leading me on. But why is he staying?" she asked them.

Shannon answered this one. "Well, your father decided that Jobe had proven himself enough, just by saying that he was going to leave, and that he was going to clear his record."

"Wait, how did you know that stuff? Did you tell them?" she turned to Jobe, who shook his head.

Her mom blushed. "Oh... well... I, umm... eavesdropped on your conversation last night. You better be glad I did, too, or he would've been leaving."

Kayla looked slightly irritated that they would violate her privacy so easily, but she was glad they did. "Okay, just don't do it again without asking first."

Her parents laughed. She didn't know what was so funny. "That defeats the purpose of eavesdropping. You're not supposed to ask permission."

She shrugged. "Whatever. If you want to find out about something, just ask."

**o-o-o**

Soon after this, they sat down at the table and had breakfast. Jobe finally got to meet Kayla's little siblings, Nick, who was 12, and Sierra, who was 9. And from talking to their parents, they even have an older son, Matt. But he was in Black City at the time. Now that everything was mostly patched up, Kayla's parents were very friendly and welcoming. Before, they had treated Jobe like an outsider; something Dante would've dragged in.

After a breakfast of eggs, bacon and sausage, her parents went into the living room, while Kayla took Jobe and her siblings out back to show him around.

"Well, you see straight ahead, is our pool. A small one, but it cools you off during hot days like this." she said, waving her hand in front of her face. Jobe didn't think it was that hot, maybe 75 or 77 degrees. He shrugged.

"And over there to the right, is a pond, full of Magikrap."

He raised an eyebrow. "Magi...krap?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Magikarp and whatever other kind of crappy fish you might find out there." They shared a short laugh.

Jobe felt a surge of feelings flow through his mind. Most being joyful ones, like him being truly grateful that he was here, with Kayla, safe and sound, and in good standing with her parents. He also felt a small sense of helplessness, for some strange, unexplained reason. And then he experienced one that was almost alien to him: a sense of withdrawal. Like he wasn't welcome here, even though he knew that her parents had been nicer than they should have been. He couldn't think of a reason why, so he decided to ask her.

He waited, until she had shown him around more, and they sat on the swingset that was there. They each took one swing, then Jobe made his move.

"Man... I feel really weird right now..." he said.

She tilted her head. "Oh? What's wrong?"

"Well, I don't know that anything's wrong, but I just feel like... like really happy, and then really... alone at the same time. I feel like it's just me sitting here."

Kayla thought for a minute. "Well I think I know why you'd be happy. But not sure about why you'd feel alone, because obviously, you're not. Can you explain what alone feels like?"

Jobe bit his lip. "Umm... I dunno. Something inside me feels cold, in a way. Not like the temperature cold, I just feel like I need to hit something..."

Kayla's eyes widened. "Uhh... well... go break that cinderblock over there, if you have to. But... feeling alone shouldn't be, cold like that. Alone, at least if I remember it right, since I haven't felt it since I met you, but alone should feel like you're hopeless. Like there's nothing in the world for you at all. That's what alone felt like to me."

Jobe shook his head. "No, I don't think it's that then. I'm not sure, I just feel like something's missing, and then something is there that shouldn't be."

She nodded. "That helps. Do you have any idea what they might be?"

"If I was to take a wacky guess, then that something missing would be you, but it doesn't make any sense. And something that shouldn't be there... might be anger. I might be mad at your parent's for putting you through all that. Maybe that's it..." he said, trying to think of what exactly might be.

Kayla slowly nodded. "Well... no, the first one doesn't make sense... unless... you don't like me anymore, and so that part of your life is gone..." she said, almost regrettably.

He shook his head. "No, of course it's not that. I still like you. Hmm..." he said, delving deeper into his mind, until...

_It was then and there. He had just witnessed his father being shot to death. The killer blew the smoke from his gun, and spun it around his finger, before sticking it back in the holster. He started to cry, right when his mother came out, shocked at the carnage that was left of his body. She ran up to Jobe and hugged him, then took him back inside._

"Jobe? Joooobe? Yooo-hooo?" Kayla said, waving a hand in front of his face. "Wake up! Earth to Jobe! Excito susum!" she said, before giving up verbal usage. She leaned over, and kissed him on the lips, hoping that her parent's weren't watching. She held the osculation for as long as she could, but he still wouldn't stir.

_Inside the house, little Jobe was stilling crying over his dad being shot. He looked at all the various pictures of him with his padre. One that struck him particularly interesting was with his dad sitting on Jobe's bed, apparently talking to him._

Kayla was starting to get worried. He still wouldn't come out of this trance. He was just sitting there, not even blinking. "Jobe! Wake up!" She pulled him off of the swing, and he fell to the ground.

"What the-?"

Jobe shook his head, knocking the dirt loose. "Kayla? How did I... what're you... why am I out here?"

She gave him a weird look. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"Just a second ago, I was in your brother's room, sitting on the bed, and your dad was talking to me."

He was obviously disillusioned. "No... we've been out here for like an hour, sitting on the swings, just the two of us." Her little siblings had gotten all sweaty, so they went back inside.

"Huh? Oh...yeah, that's right. I remember now. Talking about... what were we talking about?" he asked her, still disoriented.

Kayla shook her head. "Why were you just frozen there? I couldn't shake you out of it for nothing, not even kissing you worked."

"Umm... I... I think I just had a flashback from my past."

She wasn't expecting him to say that. "A... flashback? Like, you saw what happened, like 10 years ago? In full color and everything?"

Jobe nodded. "Yeah. I saw a man get shot, with the killer running away. Then some woman came and picked me up, and took me inside this house. I guess I was looking around, and I noticed some pictures or that guy who got shot, and one of them was me sitting on a bed, and he was talking to..." Then he knew who that man was. "Kayla... holy crap, that was my dad!"

"What? Your dad? I didn't think you had any memory or your past at all... I didn't think you ever would. Did you... see him? Like before he was shot?"

He shook his head. "No. Only the pictures. But that one is the only one I remember right now. And then you woke me up. It was so real... that's probably why I couldn't respond to you, was because..."

She cut him off. "Don't tell me... don't tell me you were actually back in the past?"

Jobe shrugged. He wasn't really sure that he wasn't, but the thought of that was illogical. "Kayla, that's impossible. No, I wasn't actually back in time, I think that my amnesia must be wearing off!"

"Amnesia doesn't wear off. Typically for memory to come back like that, you have to do something that you did back then... did you do something to my mom or dad?" she asked him, trying to act as a psychiatrist.

"Mmm... well, nothing I did here was the same as in the dream. What did I do... let's see; I went out on the front porch and waited for you to open the door. I did hug your dad when I found out I was staying, but I don't think that has anything to do with it. Then you opened the door, and we ate breakfast, then came out here."

She thought for a minute. "Are you sure that's it?" He nodded. "Hmm... I'm not sure. Maybe you ought to ask Dr. Wellstep. Wasn't he a psychologist or something?"

"I don't know! He never told me what kind of doctor he was. I thought it was just fancy for scientist. But whatever, I guess I'll ask him sometime."

"So... you still feel weird inside?"

The feeling was still there, but at least now he had some thoughts about what was causing it. "Yeah it's still there. But it's not as bad anymore."

"Well, let's walk it off. C'mon." she said, standing up and grabbing his hand.

**o-o**

"Will you go check on the kids?" Kenny said to his wife.

"Kids? Honey, Nick and Sierra are inside. They're sitting right next to you."

Kenny looked over, and indeed, the two children were watching a TV show. "Oh... nevermind then."

She tilted her head. "Are you worried about... them?"

Yes, he was worried. Well, worried about Kayla, at least. He wasn't sure how Jobe would act, now that he was deemed 'okay'. He got up and walked over next to Shannon, who was in the kitchen. "I don't know, I guess I am. More her than him, though."

"They're only in the backyard, actually they're walking into the woods now..." she said, peering through the window. "Anyway, I think you can trust him now."

He shook his head. "No, it's not him I don't trust. Now... now I feel like I need to watch Kayla more than him. Something tells me that she will be the one to mess something up, not him."

She got his drift. "Ah... well... For now, I think we're okay. She knows that we barely let him stay now, so she'll probably try to stay out of trouble for a while. Now, should he stay here for more than a month, we might be in for something..."

He nodded, then sighed.

**o-o**

"Kayla, where are we going? I'm lost." Jobe said, as they traversed deeper and deeper into the woods.

"Well I know exactly where I am. I'm in a forest, alone with you. And that's all I need."

He smiled. "Sure, but we better start heading back. Your parent's already don't like me much, and being where they can't see us probably isn't good."

"No it's not." she said, showing him a seductive look on her face.

He felt a bead of sweat roll down his face. "You're right, it's not. So let's go back..." he said, walking back from the direction they came. Kayla didn't budge.

"Aren't you coming?"

She shook her head. "Uh-uh. I wanna stay here with you."

Jobe raised an eyebrow. "Kayla? What's wrong with you? You were acting like normal when we were walking here, now you're all like..."

"Like what, Jobe?" she said, putting her hands on her hips.

He tried to find the right word, but it didn't come to him. "Like... I don't know, I can't explain it. You're just not being yourself."

"I know I'm not myself..."

Jobe wasn't sure what she meant. "What?"

"I said I know I'm not myself. You're right, I don't feel right. But I know why, and I can't tell you... fine, let's just go back." she said, fanning at some of the bugs that were swarming around her.

Jobe shrugged, not feeling like pushing her for an answer.

**o-o-o**

When they got back, it was almost dinnertime. They were supposed to have hotdogs on the grill, but Kayla said she wanted pizza instead.

"Fine. Go out and get it." her mom said, preparing some of the fixins.

Kayla grabbed the car keys. "C'mon, Jobe, go with me." He shrugged and followed her out to the car.

**o-o**

It was a 10 minute drive from her house to the pizza place, of which Jobe didn't even know the name of.

However, it was taking longer than 10 minutes to get there, and Jobe found out why.

"What? You're getting a hotel room?" he was surprised what she wanted to do.

"Yeah. You can't stay at our house anymore, Nick needs his bed. And we have to let Dante out at some point, so you and me are gonna stay here for a while."

The idea didn't even make sense to him. "Why would you stay here, 10 minutes away from your own house, when you can stay there for free? Nick can have his bed; I'll sleep in the living room or something. And I can deal with Dante, now that I'm prepared for him."

She shook her head. "Nope. Dante sleeps on the couch, and he takes up the whole stinking thing. My dad says that he's our guard dog, even though we have a loaded shotgun like every 10 square feet. And I want you to sleep with me, but of course, they wouldn't like that very much if we did that in my own house. So, we'll stay here until you decide to leave again."

"I'll sleep in the floor. Number 1: No. Number 2: That's going to cost a lot of money, especially since I don't really have any plans to leave soon. And it'll cost in gas and food, too. Number 3: Your parent's are going to trust me even less if 'I' took you away from them so soon again. So, you can stay here if you want, but I'm staying at your house, on your living room floor. Oh, and number 4: No."

"But why? What's wrong with staying together like we did a week ago? There's no difference." she said.

Jobe disagreed. "Not true. Nothing's wrong with it, but there is a difference. Well, yeah, there is something wrong with it. But if we left now without telling them, they're gonna come looking for you, and then that will be it. You'll get into trouble."

She sighed, realizing that he was right. "Fine... but I couldn't sleep last night at all without you. I'm about to drop right now..." she said, taking a sip of some coffee that she had brought with her.

"Why can't you sleep without me? And you shouldn't be driving when you're this tired, it's dangerous."

"I think I know it's dangerous, _mother. _And I don't know, probably because it became a habit when we were traveling together, I guess." she said, pulling into the pizza place parking lot.

He stopped her from unbuckling. "I'll get it." She handed him the credit card, and he ran in, picked up the pizza, paid, then hopped back in the car.

"Alright, here's your car ba-"

She was fast asleep.

_Oh, crap..._

Jobe had 1 of 3 decisions to make: he could wake her up and hope that she wouldn't yell at him, he could trade seats with her and drive himself, or somehow call her parent's and tell them to pick the couple up. The first one seemed better than the rest.

He tapped her shoulder. "Kayla? We gotta go home now... Kayla... Kaaaaaaayyyyyllllaaaaaaaa..."

Her eyes slowly opened, and then she remembered where she was. "Oh... sorry. Did you get the pizza?"

It was sitting in Jobe's lap. "Uhh, yeah. Here's your card back."

"Thanks... now, let's get home..."

**o-o**

She did manage to drive home okay, but when they got home, Jobe could tell she needed to rest. Drinking coffee and eating sugary foods would only go but so far.

After dinner, she went upstairs to her room, and Jobe hoped it was so she could rest, but then she beckoned him to follow.

"Okay... can you do me a favor?"

"Sure. Anything. Almost..." he said, adding that last part in.

She yawned. "Okay... can you... lay down here with me... until I get to sleep? You can get up after I'm down..." she said, her eyes drooping.

"Kayla, I can guarantee you that if you were to lay down, you'd fall asleep in no time. You're the one who's stopping yourself. Go on, lay your head down. Pull the covers over you, and I'll see you in the morning, I guess." he said, helping her with the covers.

She laid there for a minute, then slowly shook her head. "See... I'm not..." Then Jobe heard a quiet snore. He smiled, then turned the light off and closed the door.

Jobe walked back downstairs, he wasn't tired yet.

"Oh... we thought you went to bed already. Where's Kayla?" her dad said.

"She's asleep. I don't know what made her so tired, but she was about to fall over earlier." he said, stretching the truth a little. Well, a lot, actually.

He nodded. "Hmm... that's unusual. Most of the time she stays up really late, and it's not even dark out yet..."

"Well... maybe it was all the, events that occurred last night, I dunno." Jobe said, hoping to change the subject.

"I guess she can go to bed whenever she wants, but it's just kinda strange..."

**o-o-o**

Jobe stayed awake for a couple more hours, then he went to bed. Mr. and Mrs. Payton set up a bed on the floor, and they went up in their own room to continue watching TV. He was a little tired, but not too much. He then laid around until about 2 AM, and fell asleep.

Around an hour later, Kayla woke up. Going to bed at 6, she got her 9 hours of sleep for the day.

Well, everyone knows that if you wake up in the middle of the night, there is nothing you can do to make yourself go back to sleep. Wide-awake, she tiptoed downstairs, to find that Jobe was still asleep. She smiled, then sat down on the couch.

_Wait a minute..._

Why was Jobe sleeping on the floor instead of the sofa? Dante was still kept in the laundry room. She had no idea, but didn't want to wake him up so he could move. But after she thought about it for a minute, she changed her mind.

_After all, I'm sure it's hard on that floor. I wouldn't want him to have any back pain when he woke up, and this'll let him sleep better... so..._

She leaned over, and tapped his shoulder. He didn't budge at first, but then she kept doing it, and he finally stirred.

"Huh? Wha-? Kayla... is that you?" he said, trying to see through the darkness.

"Yes it's me. Why are you sleeping on the floor? It's more comfortable on the couch."

He shrugged. "I dunno. This is just where your parent's put me. I didn't think I could sleep on couch cause of Dante."

She shook her head, although he couldn't see it. "He's still not out yet. C'mon, hop up here." she said, patting the sofa.

Jobe slowly gathered the blankets up, then felt his way to the couch. He sat down on it, then turned and rested his legs on the armrest. He leaned his head back, to prop his head on the other armrest.

He didn't quite make it. Instead, his head was laying on Kayla's lap.

"Why are you still sitting down? I thought this was where I'm supposed to sleep." he said, sitting back up.

She tried to make him lay back down. "I know, just... lay your head back down. I won't bite, I promise."

"But you gotta go back to bed sometime. Go sit in that recliner or something. Or, I'll stay awake until you go back." he said, rubbing his eyes.

"But... ugh..." she said, getting up and going back upstairs.

Jobe was left downstairs wondering just what made her frustrated to leave. He shrugged, and laid his head back down, then fell asleep again.

**o-o-o**

The next morning, Jobe woke up at around 7. Kenny had to leave for work, so he was making breakfast for himself.

Hearing Jobe stir, he decided to make conversation. "I see you're awake. What time did you end up going to sleep?"

"I guess around 2..." he said, not wanting to delve into details.

"That's a little late, don't you think?"

Jobe shrugged. When they were in the hotel together, it was always around midnight or later. So an extra hour wasn't much of a difference to him.

Kenny was putting his shoes on now. "Well, I guess when I was your age, I wanted to stay up that late. Just don't pull an all-niter." he said, grabbing his keys and heading out the door.

Jobe yawned, and closed his eyes.

Then he heard his stomach grumble. Groaning, he got up and heading for a room that he assumed to be the pantry, looking for breakfast. He opened the door.

Just then, Dante tackled Jobe down to the floor. He then realized that he had opened the laundry room door, not the pantry. Dante was barking and growling, trying to rip Jobe's arm off. Jobe tried to throw him off, but he was too heavy. He heard someone coming down the stairs, yelling, "DANTE!"

That made the canine stop. He sat back on his haunches, still growling at Jobe whenever he moved, so he waited until Shannon struggled to put Dante back in the laundry room.

"What the heck were you thinking, opening the laundry room door like that? You knew he was in there." she said, trying to fix her hair. "I though someone had broken in the house or something."

"Nope. Just me. And it was an accident, I though that was the pantry."

"Didn't you see the side door on the outside? The pantry's right there..." she said, pointing to a door that Jobe had walked right by. "And you couldn't have just waited until I came down? Okay, you know what? Just go upstairs. Go annoy Kayla or something." she said, tying an apron on.

He shrugged and walked back up the stairs, to Kayla's room. Her door was shut, so he quietly opened it, then shut it behind him.

She was still sleeping soundly, the covers rising with every breath she took. Jobe looked around the room, and he sat down in a chair.

After a while, she hadn't moved at all. He glanced at her clock; it read 8:20. _She should be awake by now... _He thought to himself.

Jobe got up out of the chair, and tiptoed over to her bed. He tapped her shoulder, to wake her up like she had done to him the night before.

No response. He tapped her again. This time, he was sure she was awake, because her eyes flashed open for a split second.

"I know you're awake, Payton. Get out of bed, it's almost time for breakfast." he said, poking her.

She still didn't move. "I'm ignoring you."

Jobe was taken aback by that. "Ignoring me? What for?"

"I said I'm ignoring you! Now get out!"

"If something's bothering you, we need to talk about it." he said, trying to figure out what was going on.

She threw a pillow at him. "I said get out! Vamoose! Flee! Leave!"

Bewildered, Jobe left her room, still wondering what the problem was.

**o-o-o**

**Oooh, Jobe's first lover's spat...**

**Wonder why, don't you? Well, I know. But if I told you everything, it would take away all the fun from the story, wouldn't it? You can certainly guess, though...**


	18. Now?

**A/N: ****Song is "Those Nights" by Skillet, I guess. Couldn't really think of a good one.**

**Ages 15+. Hot pants ahead.**

**Hey, I actually wrote a kissing scene for once...**

_{- BU- - -M -} 3 dashes._

**Yeah I'm taking away the recaps. If I really need one, I'll include it, but I think I'm writing frequently enough that I don't.**

**o-o-o**

_What the heck?_

Jobe thought to himself, walking down the stairs. Kayla had just about thrown him out of her room, something that she would have adored him doing earlier. Now she was 'ignoring' him.

He walked into the kitchen, and sat down at the table. Shannon was almost finished fixing a breakfast of some type of sausage and grits. She glanced over at him, then saw his troubled expression.

"What's up kid? You look kinda anxious."

Jobe thought for a second, if he should really tell her or not. "Well... just when I went up there to tell her that breakfast was ready, she told me to get out. She said she was ignoring me..."

Mrs. Payton almost laughed. "Oh, it's cause you must've woken her up. She'll come down in a minute, all fine and dandy." she said, using a rather old-fashioned word.

He shrugged, and hoped that she was right.

**o-o**

Nearly 2 hours later, Kayla still had not come down. Jobe didn't dare go back up there though. Finally, her mom got sick of it and she marched upstairs, and he heard the bedroom door close.

Jobe just sat on the couch, watching some TV show that Shannon was. He wasn't really paying attention, his mind was too caught up in what was happening to care about television right now.

Then, about 10 minutes later, her mom came back downstairs. She sighed loudly, then sat down and shook her head.

"Okay, I know what you did to her. Or, rather what you didn't do, and I'm glad you didn't. Anyway, she's just frustrated at you. You can go up and try to talk to her, but I wouldn't right now. I told her that she needed to come down before lunchtime, so you can wait till then." she said.

He was confused. "What I _didn't _do? What're you talking about? She never asked me to do anything..." he said, trying to recall anytime that she had asked him of a favor or the like.

"Well that's just it, she didn't ask you, per se... but in a way, she did ask you. And she didn't like the answer, but that's the one she got. Don't worry, she'll get over it soon enough... I hope..." she said, getting up and heading for the laundry room to let Dante outside.

Jobe decided to talk to Kayla about it, even though he had no idea what 'it' was.

He walked up the stairs, noticing her door was slightly open. He could hear her doing something in her room, almost sounding like she was looking for something; a rustling noise.

He knocked on the door, and said, "Kayla? It's Jobe, can I come in?"

_Alright... this is it... do I ignore him and keep the suspense, or let him in and lie to him... _she thought to herself. _Either way, he'll be mad..._

"What do you want?"

He could tell by the tone of her voice that she was still upset over something. "I want to talk, something's bothering you and I want to help."

Kayla waited a second, then responded. "...Fine..." she said, and Jobe entered, then closed the door behind him.

She sat up in her untidy bed. "I'm sorry my room is such a mess..." she said, even though it was all but spotless.

"I don't care about that. I care about you. Now, why are you ignoring me? Did I do something to upset you?" he said.

She took a deep breath. "Alright, look... yes and no. Yes, something is upsetting me, but it's not from you, and you didn't do anything to upset me. I guess when I was ignoring you, was because I thought you had made me upset, but I know it's not you now. So, don't worry about it... I'll feel better by tomorrow, I promise. Then we can go out for some ice cream or something."

"Well, will you at least tell me what it is? We keep saying it and that, why don't you just tell me what it is?"

"I... can't. You wouldn't understand..."

He slowly nodded his head. "Mmm... I believe it was around a week ago, when you said that I didn't open up to you enough, and now you won't tell me anything because you think I won't understand. Well, maybe I won't. But that doesn't mean that I can't help you at all."

She thought for a minute. "Okay, yes, you're right. I probably should tell you what's bothering me. But one thing I have to say first, is that I am not 100% sure of what it is yet. Maybe if I find out, I'll tell you then. But for now... I'm sorry I got so gruff with you yesterday, and for giving you the cold shoulder. Oh, and for leaving you alone with my mom, that probably was the worst part."

Jobe chuckled. "Nah, she's okay. And I'm sorry too."

"For what?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, I just am." he said, opening his arms out for a hug. She smiled, then took the opportunity. However, Kayla wasn't sure if he had forgiven her fully yet.

"So are you still mad at me for ignoring you like that?" she asked him, still clutching on to him.

"Why would I have been mad? Obviously something was going on, and just getting angry wouldn't have helped. Why do you keep thinking that I'm going to get mad at you or something?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I just want to be sure..." she said, before her stomach started to rumble.

Jobe smiled. "You're hungry. C'mon downstairs and eat something." he said, getting off of her bed.

"Alright, lemme get dressed first." she said, walking over to her closet.

"Kayla? It's breakfast, not fine dining." he said, walking out the door.

She sighed, then followed him.

**o-o-o**

After she finished eating, they went into the living room. Shannon had still not come inside, and the little kids were... somewhere. Jobe hadn't seen them since last night.

"Hey, where's... Nick and... Sierra?" he asked her, trying to remember their names.

"Uhm, probably in their rooms. Nick's playing video games, I'm sure, and I have no idea what Sierra is doing." she said.

Jobe, just then, noticed something. "Where's her room? There's only 4 rooms upstairs, yours, Nick's, your parents, and the bathroom. Is hers on the first floor?"

Kayla nodded. "Yep, right over there..." she said, pointing to a door right by the front one. "Since it's somewhat less safe than it would b upstairs, they thought about moving me down there, but then decided to just let Dante sleep in her room. That way, if a burglar was to come in here, Dante'd be right there."

"Makes sense..." he said, looking around to room for something to talk about. His eyes focused on a family portrait. "What time does your dad get home?"

She thought for a minute. "Around 7-ish. Sometimes he comes early, sometimes late. I think he said that he was going to try to come home early tonight."

Jobe nodded. "Well, good." he said.

Kayla waited for an explanation, but got none. "'Well, good', what?"

"I mean, okay, that's cool. Nothing else."

She gave him a sideways glance. "Whatever."

Just then, Mrs. Payton came in, leaving Dante in the laundry room. She hadn't seen Kayla out of bed yet.

"Jobe you need to get used to Dante, so I can let him walk around the... Oh, you're up." she said, noticing that her daughter was awake. "It's about time. Did you get something to eat?" to which Kayla nodded. "Then go upstairs and change."

Kayla sighed, then headed upstairs. After she was out of earshot, Shannon continued. "How did you get her out? No, wait. I don't want to know..." she said, walking away.

Jobe smiled, though he was glad she didn't want an answer. There were many things that Jobe did not want her parents to know.

**o-o-o**

At the Exposure Laboratories, Kenny was busy at a board meeting; or more like a bored meeting. He wasn't heading it up, it was actually a couple smaller businesses. His firm made more in one day than they did in a whole month.

"Alright, look..." he said, about to argue a point regarding customer attraction apparatus. "People are tired of advertisements. They hate commercials. They hate having to turn an extra page in the magazine to read the article. They can't stand waiting 30 seconds before they can skip the ads on a video. Publicity is not required for me anymore, but I don't know about the rest of you. I am saving money by completely abolishing my advertising department. It's unnecessary. And I'm still getting word out about my company. But how? It's through a force called the client; the word of mouth. One customer purchases anything from us, and he tells his neighbor. The neighbor tells their cousins in Johto. They tell their parents and siblings in Kanto. All of sudden, we get hundreds of people wanting to buy from us, and it all started from that one person. Now... this is a risky and completely service-based: I mean that you have to treat every customer with the utmost respect and care. I mean that you must be able to stand by your policies and make them standard; no one is excluded or gets special treatment. My company seems to do well with this type or advertising, and the earlier you get started, the cheaper it will be." he said, finishing with a sip of water.

**o-o-o**

Shannon needed to go and get groceries, so she told the two teens to watch over the little ones.

"I'll be back in an hour or so. Make sure they don't do anything they're not supposed to, and keep an eye on Jobe, too. And you need to let Dante out before I get back." she told Kayla, who snickered.

After her mom left, Kayla shut the door, then glanced at Jobe. He had a bored expression, watching some show that Sierra had on the TV.

"Hey Jobe, c'mere." she said, walking upstairs.

He got up and followed her into her room. "Sup?"

"You look bored... wanna do something?"

"Only if 'something' is rated PG." he said cautiously.

She giggled. "Yes, it is. Well, if it's just you and me, then it'll probably be rated R... No, just kidding. Nick's got a flat screen and gaming system in his room, if he's not playing it, I was gonna show you a video game that I used to play with my friends." she said, knocking on Nick's door.

He thought for a second. "Wait, _used_ to? What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't really keep in touch with any of my high school friends anymore. Some moved, some went off to college, and a few are still around here. But... I don't know why, I just don't follow up with them. Only one person has called me since I graduated, and that was just to borrow something. And that reminds me, they still haven't brought it back..."

"What was it?" he asked her. _This_ was interesting.

"Oh... just a set of keys. Keys to a house that my parents own, somewhere in Johto, a place called Olivian City or something... It's a really nice beach house, set right on the surf..." she said, with an image of it on her mind.

Jobe smiled. "Ah... wait a minute; you said you don't see any friends at all anymore? So that means... that means you're like me."

She shrugged. "I guess so."

Nick had still not opened the door, so Kayla assumed that he was playing the game, so she went back into her room, and Jobe followed.

"Now what're we gonna do? Go outside?"

She was obviously thinking about something. "Well... well, I do have this go-kart that we can take around my uncle's land. He owns like 100 something acres, and lets us use it for whatever, whenever. I hope it still works..."

"We don't have to do that right now. I'd rather stay inside, not to mention we have to listen out for your siblings. Y'know, now I sorta wished I had let you buy those computers, cause I've got nothing to do around here, cause I don't really want to do anything, in case I break something. Unless you're doing it with me, then I wouldn't be responsible." he said, smiling.

"Yeah... but you can pretty much do anything you want, cause if you do break something, it's not like we can't afford to replace it. And we don't have to listen out for Nick, just Sierra. He's way too occupied to get into trouble right now. And she's watching her show right now, so we've got a break..." she said, lying down on her bed. She looked expectedly over at him, sitting on one of the stools that was in her room.

He noticed it. "Uhh..." A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. He wasn't really sure if she wanted him to sit next to her, or get out. The easiest thing to do was just stay put. "So, uhh... what do you wanna do?"

A sour look came over her face. "Hmm, I don't know..." she said, grabbing some lip gloss and putting it on as a hint.

"Me neither... it's too hot to go outside, we can't go anywhere, they're taking up both TVs... and it's not time to eat yet."

Now Kayla was starting to get frustrated. "Oh, for crying out loud..." she said, getting up and abruptly pressing her lips against his.

Jobe didn't fight it, but it did surprise him. He leaned back, feeling his head touch the wall. She pushed him back even further, making the chair go on two legs.

The feelings were stronger than ever; being built up over the last few days, they had to release it somehow. Kayla had especially felt it, her being the more emotional of the two. She let up off of him for a minute, so they could catch their breath.

"Well, that was surprising. Why didn't you just ask?"

"I did! You didn't see me... oh forget it. Just be quiet and enjoy it." she said, sitting down in his lap, and continuing with the osculation.

They continued for a couple more seconds, before a door slamming shut woke them from the entrancement. Kayla quickly jumped off, and onto her bed, trying to act like she had been there the whole time. Jobe peered out of her bedroom door, because they still didn't know who it was.

He looked around, and with what view he had, he couldn't see anybody. It had sounded too loud to be the front door, but when you're in a state of mind like that, everything is loud.

"Don't worry about it, let's just go down there, and then we'll find out. An hour couldn't have passed so quickly." she said, leaving her room.

**o-o**

They both went downstairs, but hadn't seen anyone, save for Sierra.

"Sierra, who was that who came inside?" Kayla asked her.

"No one came inside." was her answer.

Kayla glanced at Jobe. "Uhh... did we just imagine that, then?"

He shrugged. "I hope not."

Kayla shuddered, then walked back upstairs. She then saw who had caused the noise. Nick had come out of his room, obviously mad that he must've lost game. He was in the bathroom now, but she pointed. "He's done with the game now. We can go play, if you want."

"Mmm, I dunno. I was hoping we could do something else." he said, nudging her.

"Oh, that's a first. Usually I have to make the first move. Okay, then." she said, walking into her room and closing the door after Jobe got in.

"Whoa, not sure if that's a good idea. What if your mom comes home and we don't hear the door? Leave it cracked a little bit." he said, sitting back down in his (now) favorite chair.

Kayla smiled, then slowly sat down on his lap. Jobe didn't really like that part, mostly because her weight hurt his legs. Not that she was any heavier than average, in fact she was a little on the skinny side. And, it made him feel a little uncomfortable.

He tried to ignore the feeling, and closed his eyes, awaiting her kiss. When it didn't come, his eyes flashed open, and she was still just sitting there.

"What are you waiting for?"

She smiled evilly. "Suspense. The longer I keep you here without it, the more you'll want and like it when I actually give it to you. So, you're going to wait a little while."

"Aww... but don't wait too long, or it'll start to hurt." he said, a double meaning behind that. Jobe couldn't get up without tossing her in the floor, or picking her up with him. And that would just be weird.

"Hurt? Am I hurting you?" she said, a look of worry coming across her face.

He shrugged. "Well, all of your weight on my thighbones, doesn't really feel good..."

Kayla got up off of him, and sat down on her bed, then bit her lip. "Hey wait a minute... you just called me fat!"

Jobe's eyes went wide. "No I didn't. You heard me, I said... oh... I didn't mean it that way... sorry."

"Mmmhmm... I bet you are. Make it up to me." she demanded.

"What? Oh..." he said, catching on to what she was getting at.

Jobe moved over to her bed, and she laid down, waiting for him. "I... I don't know about this..."

"Jobe, I'm not gonna do what I did at the hotel again. I got out of control that time, and it won't happen again." she said, pulling him over her, and kissing him.

Obviously, he was still wary, but he tried not to show it. He didn't like being in that position, him laying on top of her like that, but she must have.

After a few seconds, Kayla's mind started to wander over to desirable approaches, but she caught herself before doing anything. _How does he keep himself under control like that? I'm sure he feels the same way I do... or maybe not... _She thought to herself.

Soon enough, the want left her, and she felt like her normal self again. Kayla let go of him, letting her arms caress his side and back.

That was one of those signs he was watching for. His eyes flashed open, but he could see that she wasn't as hyperactive as she was the time before. He lifted his face off of her, then excusingly said, "Hey, I'm not crushing you or anything, am I? It feels weird lying on you like that..."

She shook her head. "Not at all. I sorta like being restrained like that, it's hard to explain, but-"

Just then, the front door shut. Jobe leaped off of her, and readjusted his shirt. Kayla sat up, and followed him out of her room. Nick was standing right at his doorway, looking at the two of them. "What?" Kayla said.

"He creeps me out." Nick replied, then shut his door. Jobe chuckled.

**o-o-o**

"Mmm... I know what you two kids were doing." she said, taking a look at both of them.

Jobe sweat a little. But before he could say anything, Kayla took charge. "What do you mean?"

"Well, for one thing, you're sweating. Your shirt is soaked from behind. And, I know because you didn't let Dante out like I asked you, I see little chocolate wrappers that Sierra must've eaten while _**unattended, **_and Nick isn't crying. So you've been up in your room the whole time, probably with him. And, when a boy and girl are alone in a room for and hour and a half, there's only one thing they can do." she explained.

_Dang, her mom knows everything. How did she know that Dante wasn't let out? _Jobe thought to himself.

"Well... fine. Okay, yeah, we were in my room the whole time. I'm sorry I didn't let Dante out, and not watching them." she said, walking over to the laundry room to take care of the Arcanine.

Shannon was putting the groceries away, so Jobe turned to go watch TV, now that Sierra was gone. "Not so fast, Casanova. You're going to do some work around here."

"Okay, fine..."

She was surprised by his answer. "What? You're not opposed to helping me with dinner?"

He nodded. "Maybe I am. But it doesn't mean that I can express that. Doesn't mean I don't have to do it."

"Hm."

**o-o-o**

The rest of the day was spent helping Shannon fix dinner. Soon after they finished, Mr. Payton got home from work, and they were eating pork chops moments later.

During their somewhat fabulous dinner, Kayla had an announcement to make.

"Okay, this isn't really easy to say, but... we're leaving again." she said, after taking a bite.

Everyone else but her was surprised when she said that, including Jobe. She hadn't showed any desire to leave, nor had she asked him if he wanted to. And to be truthful, he didn't want to leave, yet.

"Whoa, what? Kayla, you've only been home for 2 days. Are you sure you want to leave so soon again? Did he force you to?" her mom said, giving Jobe a dark glare.

"Hey, even I didn't know about this. I had no idea I was leaving, in fact, I kinda wanted to stay a little longer. So yeah, what she said. And where are we going?" Jobe asked Kayla.

"You remember that beach house I was telling you about? That's where. And yes, I'm sure. It's been nice to come back home, but there's nothing here for me anymore. It's depressing to wake up every morning, and know that there's nothing to do for the day." she said, trying to make sure her parents were on her side.

Mr. Payton didn't seem so fond of the idea. "That's why I told you to go to college. You'd be making something of your life, and you'd definitely be busy. I'm not sure I want you to go, especially that far away. Here in Unova, it's a little different, but Johto is a completely different society. It's much more rural. They don't have-"

"Daddy, I've been there before. I know what it's like. I like it more there than here." was her response.

There was a silence, no one sure what to say next. "So in other words, you want to move out."

"Well, no, not completely. I still want to come back here eventually. And it wouldn't be permanent, but it would be more stationary than we have been for the past few weeks."

"Kayla, the logic in this is hard to see. Why would you want to go to a completely different region, where nothing is familiar to you, you'd have to pay for your own meals, your own gas, your own everything. Money isn't transferable between regions yet, you would have to get a job because we couldn't supply you that far away. It would be more trouble than it's worth, I think." her mom said, opposed to the idea.

Kayla sighed. It was obvious that they weren't for the idea, but she expected this. "Okay, fine then. I'll just stay here. And I won't make a name for myself, like you wanted me to. Does that sound better? You gotta let me get out and do something for a change. I'm always stuck in this house, and it really starts to bog down on you after a while."

Her mom's look stayed serious. "You've only been here for two days; you were out for the past 3 or 4 weeks with him, and you don't think it bogs down on us? We've lived here longer than you have."

"It's different. You have responsibilities around the house, dad goes to work, and what do I do? Lay around here all day, doing absolutely nothing. Even the younger kids have something to, at least they do school in the morning. That's why I enjoying being with Jobe that whole time, it took me away from the daily grind. That's why I want to go live somewhere else for a while, a place where I wouldn't just be wasting my youth away here."

Her parents stayed silent for a moment. Shannon looked like she was about to say something, but her husband stopped her. "Well then... if you really want to see what it's like in the real world, fine. Go ahead. Here's the keys to the place." Kenny said, grabbing a set of keys from a hook.

He dropped them in front of Kayla. "I don't want to go if you don't want me to. We won't go unless it's okay with you."

"This is... Kayla, how can you say this? You tell us that you're bored out of your mind here, saying that you are going somewhere else, so we give you keys for a place, and you say you won't go unless we say it's okay. How can you do this, and expect us to make sense out of it?" her mom said, getting frustrated.

"I just want you to understand that I can take care of myself now. I'm a grown woman now. And especially with Jobe, I have no fear of someone mugging me or something. Plus, we-"

Kenny interrupted her. "We already had this discussion. You're still only 18, and I'm not sure how old he is, but it can't be much older than that. You're just kids compared to other people in the world. You may think you can handle yourself just fine, and for a while, everything may go smoothly. But eventually, whether it's with or without Jobe, you're going to run into an obstacle, one that breaks you down so much, you'll crack. We're not trying to restrict or punish you, but we're trying to protect you from the outside world, it's not as glamorous as you think. No, I don't want you to go at all, but I do want you to be happy, and if you're not happy here, I can't stop you from leaving."

Shannon looked over at him in surprise. "What're you talking about? Heck yeah, we can stop her. Take away her car keys, lock her up in her room, she can't go nowhere, whether she likes it or not. And if she tries to get away with Jobe, we'll take him away too."

"No! Don't do that! Fine, we won't leave. Just don't say I can't see him anymore, anything but that." Kayla tried to bargain.

"We'll decide that." she said, picking up the plates and dumping them in the sink. Kayla looked over at Jobe, and he shrugged in response. Then she got up and headed upstairs, with him following.

**o-o**

"You did that wrong. Something was wrong about that, not sure what, but I think it's the way you came across." Jobe said, trying to remedy the situation.

"Jobe, I don't need this now, I'm kinda upset, can't you tell?" she said hastily, trying to hold back tears.

He shrugged. "Just trying to help."

"I know, but it's not helping." Kayla said, putting her fingers to her temples.

Then an idea came to Jobe's head. "So what helps you then?" She shrugged. "Well, I know one thing that will..." he said, walking over to her bed, where she was sitting. She had a guess what he was going to do, but it wasn't what she had expected. He lowered his hands to her feet, and started tickling.

Instantly Kayla burst out laughing. Jobe smiled, trying to grab one of her flailing ankles. She was tossing and turning, trying to get away. Eventually he let go of her. "You ticklish too? Let's find out..." she said, forcing him into a corner.

She looked him straight in the eyes, then forced her hands under his arms, trying to tickle him. He didn't flinch at all.

"Aww... you just ruined the fun of it." she said, sulking back on her bed.

"Yeah, but you didn't. You're still ticklish." he said, trying to grab her ankle again.

She pushed him away. "No, stop. That's enough, I might get carried away..."

"What does that mean?"

"I mean I might get... turned on by it. I liked it when you tickled me... but I don't want to get carried away again, so stop it." she said quietly.

He then got her meaning. "Oh... well if you like it and it feels good, then why should I stop? I can stop you if you get too excited."

She was a little surprised he had just said that. "No... I mean, yes, it feels good, but in the wrong way. It doesn't feel good like a massage, it's different. I don't need to feel that right now..."

"Well, if you say so. I thought it was kinda fun to torture you like that. I don't get to do that very often." he remarked.

She smiled. "I guess so..." Kayla looked around the room for a minute. "So... you think I handled that situation wrong?"

"Yes, I do. I think if you had done it right, they would've let us go. Which, by the way, you didn't even ask if I wanted to." he said.

"Oh, I thought you hated this place. I thought you would've loved to leave and be alone with me somewhere else. Well if you don't want to go, then just forget about it all." she said, looking down.

"No no, I would like to be alone, but I know that your parents don't exactly want that. That's sorta why I haven't suggested leaving yet, until they trust me more. But, what I was going to suggest was instead of just us going, your whole family would take a vacation and all of us going together, That way, we'd get our little trip, and they would get be able to keep an eye on us. It's a win-win."

She thought for a minute. "Actually, that sounds like a good idea. And, I'll see if they can get Matt to go with us too; I'd like you to meet him. Plus you need some guy time. You've been around no one but girls since your post-life."

He smiled. "Is that a bad thing?"

"I dunno, you tell me."

He shook his head. "Now wait, don't go down and ask them right now. Ask them again tomorrow or something, that way it'll seem like you were actually thinking about it."

"Right. Tomorrow it is, then."

**o-o**

Jobe hung around her room for a couple more hours, then he headed downstairs for sleep.

**o-o-o**

**Sorry this one is so late, I was without Internet for a whole 4 days, and in the process, I died. Next chapter should be out pretty soon, though.**


	19. Boom boom pow

**A/N: ****Song is "Whatever It Takes" by Pillar.**

**Yeah, time for another semi-adult chapter, rated ages 15+. Mistaken use of sexual activity. **

**Ehhh... I'm sure you've noticed, but I know I have. My chapter quality is going down... mostly because of slow or 'useless' chapters. Well, believe me: this is the last 'boring' chapter. A lot happens in this one, so pay me all your attentions. Because after this, it's changing... I hope.**

**Credit to Jacuzzi again. Also a rather funny meme in here.**

_{- BU- - -M -} 3_ dashes.

**o-o-o**

_The weary man pushed forward, bracing through the blustering wind. The rain pelted him, making him feel like a pincushion. Jobe tried to look out, but saw nothing; it was pitch-black outside._

_He remembered where he was, but didn't know where he was going. All of this... because of one person._

"Hhhppphuu!"

Jobe huffed, waking up as Kayla leapt onto his stomach. She put a finger to her mouth.

"Everyone's still asleep, so be quiet. I couldn't get to sleep, and I was bored, so I came down here." she whispered.

"Whatever... the TV remote's right there, cut it on if you want." he said, falling back into his pillow.

"But..." she started, the sighed. "I didn't come down here to watch TV, I could've done that without waking you up. I wanted to-"

He tried to stop her. "Kayla! It's like 3 in the morning! I was having a weird dream, now I'll never know the end of it." he said, frustrated.

Her eyes lit up. "Ooohh, what was it about?"

"I don't know! I forgot, you interrupted me in the middle of it. I'm going to sleep." Jobe said, trying to block out his ears.

"Then I will too." she said, trying to scoot in under his blanket.

He sat up. "Hey, stop. There's a chair over there, go sleep in that... oh, forget it. Go back up to bed, so I can."

"You can sleep with me down here, can't you? I'm not that loud."

He shook his head. "No, you need to go back up. If we fell asleep down here like that, and your parents woke up before we did, that trip is gone. It would probably be even worse than that. So just go on up, and I'll see you in the morning."

Kayla grunted, then slowly walked back up the stairs, into her own bed.

**o-o-o**

The next morning, Jobe woke up at about 8 o'clock, before anybody else was awake.

_The Payton's sure are late sleepers... _He thought to himself, as he gathered his blankets and threw them over the couch. It would be about another half-hour before Shannon would come down and fix breakfast, so he sat on the couch and waited, almost falling asleep again.

Slowly, as his eyes started to drift, he felt 124 pounds fall onto his side.

"What the he-" he started.

"Boy, you had better finish that with 'heck'!" Shannon said.

Apparently she had come down, without him noticing. And then he got jumped on by Kayla, who had also come downstairs.

"What're you doing, sleeping so late?" she said.

"Sleeping. And it wasn't that late."

She shrugged. "You need to get up anyway. We've got stuff to do today."

He raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Kayla leaned in to his ear. "I talked to mom. We're going to that beach house." she whispered, getting off of him and walking upstairs. She gestured for him to follow.

Once they were in her room, Jobe started asking questions.

"You asked her already?"

She nodded. "Yep. She thought it was a great idea. But one problem... we can't stay after they leave, we have to go back with them."

"Well, I suppose that's not too bad. Really, though? Do you want all that trouble of staying at that place?" he said.

"Trouble? I would clean Dante's crap up by HAND if I could only stay there." she remarked.

He was surprised she had just said that. "Why though? Why such a huge desire to stay there? Why not somewhere else?"

"Because I want to be alone with you... and no more interruptions from my parents. I want to do whatever I want, when I want. No more rules."

Jobe bit his lip. "Well... staying there, in my opinion, is going to be more trouble than it's worth. It'd be better to stay somewhere in Unova, where you don't have to work, cause your parents would be funding us. Either way, you would still have rules, whether from your parents or your conscience. And me, too. I think there's a reason why your parents don't want you to stay there without them. I don't think we should either, whether it's because of us two being alone, or stuff like crime rates. I'm sure they are only thinking of what's best for you, not that they want to restrict you or anything. I don't really want to stay there after they leave, simply because of the money thing. I think it would be better if we stayed closer to home."

Kayla didn't have a response immediately. "Umm... I know they only want to protect me, but with you, nothing can harm me. I'm not afraid of anything. I just think they can be over protective. I'm tired of that."

"I know that you are. But you've got parents, and that's reality. When you become... a parent, you'll do the same thing."

She nodded, then an idea popped into her mind. "I know. But, umm... will you with our kids?"

Jobe shuddered. "Uhh... I hope you're talking later, much later. Cause that ain't happening right now. And it might not."

She smiled. Her plan to shake him up like that had worked. "Don't say that... Are you going to come with us?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I? We just have to have a couple rules while we're down there. Like no making out unless we're 1000% sure no one is around. We can't hold hands, or-"

She stopped him. "Now wait a minute, that's too far. Are you afraid to express that I'm your girlfriend?"

"No. But I just want to be extra careful in front of your parents. There aren't any rules when no one's around." he said.

Kayla nodded. "Alright then. Let's go down and eat breakfast." she said, heading downstairs.

**o-o-o**

The next few hours were spent packing, because they were set to leave very soon. Their plane was leaving at 2:45, it was 2 now.

They drove to the airport, and grabbed the bags, then boarded the plane.

It took off 5 minutes early, only to fly for a straight 12 hours. _12 hours of boredom... _Jobe thought to himself, as he heard the attendant announce the EAT.

**o-o-o**

_Meh._

_I almost forgot about this thing. I've just been so bored for the last few hours, guess that's how I remembered it._

_But right now, we just got to the beach house place._

_Dang this pad is huge! At least 8000 square feet, and that's just the first floor. There's 3 of 'em! Each one sort of stacks on top of each other... like a pyramid. But on the inside, each one has a loft that overlooks the one below it. You can see the bedroom doors on the third floor from the first. Plus it's got a wide open private beach too. Not a single soul in sight. There's not even any Wingulls out here. It's that secluded. Maybe I spoke too soon, cause the nearest town, which is about 20 miles, looks like there isn't a single gum wrapper on the ground. I don't even think they have a rating for crime here._

_I'd hate to give in to Kayla though. I already told her that we shouldn't stay here, but I can tell she still wants to. And now, I'm rethinking; even I want to..._

**o-o**

Jobe moved his 1 bag into the room that he would be staying in. There was a king-sized bed, a huge dresser with a flat-screen on top, over-sized bathroom with Jacuzzi, a full walk-in closet and a surround-sound stereo system. He marveled at all this luxury, the Auberge resort looked like a dump compared to this place.

Just then, Mr. Payton walked in.

"Sorry we had to give you such a small room, Jobe. Can you make do?"

He couldn't believe what he had just heard. "S-small?"

Kenny nodded. "Yeah, this is the smallest room in the house. I guess we could've put Sierra or Nick in here, but I don't like them having a bathtub like that in their room. By the way, don't let Nick in here, he'll never leave."

"Oh, I don't think he'd stay here too long. He thinks I'm a creep."

"Nick? Nah. He doesn't think that, does he?"

Suddenly Kayla popped in. "Oh... didn't know you were in here. Dad, did you call Matt? Can he come?"

He nodded. "It's 3 in the morning, your mother will call in the morning."

"Awesome! You might get to meet him, Jobe!" She was acting very pippy.

"Yeah, cool." He tried to keep his calm and collected composure.

"So, umm..." she started, then tried to push her dad out. "Do you mind?" then shut the door behind him.

"Just don't stay awake too long." Jobe heard outside of the door.

He was surprised that Kenny was letting them alone in that room, with the door closed like that.

_Click._

...Make it locked like that. Kayla just turned the lock and activated it.

"Why did you lock it? Leave it open." he said.

She shook her head. "No... I don't want it open. Or unlocked." she said, slowly walking towards him.

"Don't you think it's weird how your dad just let you come in here like that? I mean, why is he so nice all of a sudden?"

Kayla stopped. "Nice? You're saying he was mean before? I don't know, maybe he trusts you now."

Jobe swallowed hard. "I doubt that... Well... can you leave so I can change and go to bed?"

"What do you think I'm in here for?"

"To say goodnight and leave?"

She smiled devilishly again. "You wish."

Desperately, he tried to think of an excuse for either one of them to leave, but none came. She moved closer, now almost right in front of him.

"Mmm..." she said, forcing him even further back. "What time are we gonna go to bed? Or are we at all?"

Kayla leaned in to kiss him, and for a second, he was pulled into the entrancement. Then his eyes flashed open, and he tried to get off the bed.

"Kayla, you're going crazy. You need to get out." he said, pointing to the door.

She shook her head, then bit her lip. "I don't want to. I want to stay in here with you."

"You know what I said about that. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not during this trip." he said, striving to push her off without hurting her.

"What're you doing? I just want some loving. I haven't gotten any since we've been at my house." Kayla said, trying to resist. Her strength was no match for his, but that wasn't the only thing fighting him.

"We both need sleep. Tomorrow we'll do something together. But it can't be here, not while your parent's are here. I'm tired, I'm sure you are too. Go to bed, and I'll see you in the morning." he said, after he got her out the door.

Kayla started to protest, but then grunted and stomped off to her room.

**o-o-o**

"_How are you feeling? You took quite a buster there, son." he said._

_His mind was still in a fog, after hitting... what? His memory failed him, he couldn't remember a thing._

"_Do not worry, it will not be long before you will not feel pain anymore. Soon you will be just fine... just... fine..." the voice faded out._

Jobe woke up from his dream, wondering what it meant. He yawned, then started to get out and stretch, when he felt something brush against his leg.

"What the-?" he said, trying to find out what had dug its way into his bed.

Kayla was laying in his bed, under the covers, right next to where he was. "Morning." she said casually.

"M-morning? That's it? What the heck are you doing in here?"

"Well I _was_ sleeping, until you woke me up. That was a crazy night last night." she said, rubbing her eyes.

He couldn't believe that she would dare to sleep in his bed like that, when her parents could easily find out. "Kayla you better get out of here before your parents see this! I don't know how you even got in, I-"

"Left the door unlocked." she finished for him. "You left the door unlocked after you pushed me out."

"I thought I locked it. Why did you come back in? That's such a risk right now." he asked.

She bit her lip. "Cause I told you, I wanted some loving, and you wouldn't give it to me while you were awake, so..."

"Whoa whoa, what? You didn't..."

She nodded. "Yes, and it was fun too."

Jobe couldn't believe what he had just heard. "What? Are you serious? I can't believe... So you're-"

"No. I have to tell you a secret, come here." she said, beckoning him closer.

"No one else is in here, just tell me."

"Fine, it's..." she looked around, making sure no one else was in the room. "I was kidding."

Now Jobe wasn't sure what to believe. "Huh?"

"I'm kidding! And boy, you should've seen the look on your face... priceless! Nothing happened, I wouldn't want to do it when you were sleeping, that's just silly."

Relieved, Jobe laid back down and closed his eyes. "That's enough excitement for one morning. Go back to your own room before your parents find this."

"But my room isn't as good as yours."

"What? Mine's smaller than yours." he said.

She nodded. "True, but mine doesn't have you in it."

"Aww... seriously though, you can't keep doing this. It's not good. You're going to get in so much trouble. You are really pushing the limits. Especially if you want to reprove that you can stay alone with me, you've got to keep control of yourself."

Kayla sighed and shook her head. "Why do I even try? This is always what I get back. _'Just wait, Kayla. You'll get in trouble, Kayla.'_ I'm tired of it! Don't you see why I want to leave my parents? It's because of them I can't do anything I want to."

"Of course I see why. But it was your decision to come back here, and I don't regret it. I think we needed to. But now, you want to leave again, and they don't want you to, this time. At least not right now. All's they're trying to do, is make sure you don't get harmed and all that crap. But something else is stopping them from letting you go, cause we all know I would do whatever it takes to protect you. I think they know that too, but something else is bothering them. I don't know what, that's what you have to find out, cause I can't talk to them like you can." he said.

"So... you're saying that's all I have to do, is ask them why can't I leave, and get a specific answer? Cause they have said just because they didn't want me alone and all that, but it doesn't cut it anymore... right?" she said.

He nodded. "Yeah, I think so. Just ask them exactly what's stopping them. And then we'll try to fix it, I guess."

"Okay then... finally I've got something to do... C'mon, it's probably time for breakfast." she said, getting out of his bed.

Jobe smiled. "Yeah, it's about time. And don't go back in, either." He said, following her as she opened the door.

Right as she did, he instantly felt a crushing force of inevitable punishment as both of her parents appeared straight in front of them, arms crossed, and a rather unpleasant expression being worn on their faces.

_Oh... crap._

**o-o**

Mrs. Payton was furious. "This is just great. We let you come onto a trip with us, and on the very first night, not even a FULL night, and you seduce my daughter into sleeping with you. And I believed everything you told me... now I really know your true intentions, and that is not happening in this house. In fact, you just need to-"

Kayla interrupted her. "No no no, you've got it all wrong. First, he didn't seduce me, I went back inside his room after he fell asleep. He had no idea I was in there until he woke up, and when he did, Jobe didn't like it, as I expected. Second, those are not his intentions, he told me himself. I'm sure he'll tell you now, too."

"Why would you do a thing like that? And I want to hear those 'intentions'." she demanded.

Kayla took a breath. "It's not easy to explain. I feel all weird now when I try to go to sleep... sort of like I'm sleeping outside, all unprotected and stuff. Like I feel that anything could just come up and kill me, easy as pi. It's a hard feeling to ignore. I guess you old people call it, feeling 'insecure'?"

Mr. Payton snapped. "You will not disrespect your mother like that. I don't care how old you are, what you're doing, you will respect her."

"Sorry."

Shannon shook her head. "That's still no reason to do what you did... Now I want to hear you talk for once." she said, pointing to Jobe.

He wasn't really sure what to say. "Well... it's definitely not that. I just want to be with her, because I like her. I don't want... what you think I want. If I did, wouldn't I have done it when we were alone? Why would I dare to do it now?"

Though she hated to admit it, he was partially right. "Hmph... fine then. But I want to know what made you think about it, Kayla. I thought we had taught you right..."

"You did... I mean, I already told you, it's such a weird feeling, I haven't felt this way since..." she paused to think. "I haven't felt this way before..."

Neither of her parents looked very pleased at all. "You still don't have the right to just walk into someones bed and take a nap. There is another way to deal with that. And speaking of which, you intruded on his privacy, too. I'm sure he's not very happy about that either."

Jobe shrugged, there was nothing he had to hide anyway.

Kayla looked at him funny. "What, no response?"

"I just don't know what to say. I mean, no, I don't want you to do that again. I think it was a bad idea, and I'm surprised you attempted it. But I don't really have anything to hide, in terms of the privacy. Nothing of me needs to be kept secret right now." he said.

"I... I'm sorry... I won't do it again..." Kayla apologized.

"That doesn't mean you're off the hook. How about.. how about you stay in the house for the next two days? I think that sounds good. No beach, TV, computer, or Jobe for two days." Kenny said.

Kayla couldn't stand to hear that. "What? I can't see Jobe? That's too much... please, make me sleep outside for a month, anything but that..."

"If you're at the point of sneaking into his room, behind a closed door, you need time away from him. You can stand two days, you went 18 years without seeing him before. And it starts... now."

At that word, Mrs. Payton led Jobe out to the screened in porch to eat. Kayla stayed in the kitchen with her dad. "I can't believe she would do this... you must be a heavy sleeper."

He shrugged, trying to pick up the mood. "I don't know, I never weighed myself when I was asleep."

Shannon couldn't help but smile. "That was a good one... but still, there's nothing funny about what just happened. We try to let you two have as much freedom as possible, but there is a limit."

"Okay, honestly, Mrs. Payton? Can I tell you something?"

"Uhh, I hope so, what is it?" she asked, suspicious.

"Not a word of what she said was a lie. Every word was true. I did not know she was in there. In fact, I could've sworn I locked that door. Whether I did or not, yes, she got in, and snuck into my bed. But nothing happened, and I don't want it to happen. You already know that. I just want you to know that I am trying to be completely honest with you, but it's hard because most of the time you don't believe me. I think that you should be able to trust me, but for whatever reason, you don't. I don't want to deceive you, I want to gain your trust. Like when Kayla said she wanted to leave again, what was the real reason? It wasn't where we were going to be staying. Because there is no crime here, it's secluded, so no neighbors, nothing to worry about. It wasn't about the money, although I think that is a reason not to stay here. But the real reason was me, wasn't it? You don't trust me enough to stay alone with her for a months, two months. What I want to know, is what's stopping you? What makes me look so iniquitous to you?"

She took a minute to think about what he had just said. "It's your mystery. I know that you are who you say you are, with the shape shifting and all that. But who, or what, are you really what you appear to be? I mean, is this all just a show, just a disguise, so you can get whatever it is you want? See, as a parent, and you don't feel this, but as a parent, you want to make sure that your kids are always safe, happy, and taken care of. I know for certain she would be happy with you, I think she would be relatively safe, the thing is how you can trust people these days. You don't just pick up any teenage boy off the street and let your daughter run around with him for a month. There was a time when you could do that, but it will never happen again. Kenny trusts you more than I do, and in my opinion, he's blinded by all the work he's doing right now to care like he should. But there is still something you don't understand, and that is why she wants to leave in the first place. She might've told you something, but I know the real reason. It's because she doesn't feel like she can express everything she wants to when we're nearby. I know going through a relationship is definitely a trying experience. A lot is on her mind, and a lot is on yours. That's the way life is. But the tricky part is, and this is what I don't think she can or wants to do when either of us is around, is express some feelings that you hopefully haven't seen yet. When she was alone with you for the first month, Kayla was probably making sure you weren't a creep or anything. Checking to see if herself would even interest you, and I guess she did. That's what girls do; they try to become friends first, so they know your personality, your likes and dislikes, that sort of stuff. They like to know exactly who you are. And that's what I'm afraid of, is that this is all a big lie, just so you could whisk her away somewhere, and never be heard from again. Or not... You could be completely trustworthy, and so far, I think that's the truth." Jobe smiled and nodded, glad she wasn't giving him all negative points.

"Either way, she's only 18, and you look about 19. You're babies compared to others in that outside world. It's not as friendly as you might think, and I don't care how cliched that is. Anybody who could would take advantage of someone like you, and you have to be able to resist all of that, plus one more thing: you have to be able to resist her, because trust me; as a young woman, especially one you're attracted to, she's going to want to get closer and closer to you. She will try to entice you into doing some things you shouldn't. That's going to happen. It's impossible to avoid; I just hope that she knows what's wrong and what's right. But if she does get the idea that she has to be just like every other teenage girl out there, the problem lies when you can't resist, and if she gets the key to your body, it will always remain unlocked to her."

Jobe raised an eyebrow. _That's... disturbing. _"I see..." He tried to think of a good response. "I don't know what to say, other than that we've tried this before. I've tried to tell you that I want to listen to what you're saying and use that in whatever I, or her, does. I don't even know what goes on when you do 'it', and not sure I want to know right now. Remember? My memory was erased?"

"But that's one more thing. Anybody could say their memory was 'erased' and lie. Just to get what they want. You could say your name is Jobe all the day, but unless I see a birth certificate saying that your name is Jobe..." she ushered for a last name. He shrugged. "Jobe... whatever, it's still hard to believe when it comes to dealing with my kids. I hope you know this good and well, that I WILL put a bullet in your head if you ever harm anyone of them. I WILL track you down, it won't be hard. So don't think you can get away with anything if you were to try. And if I ever get a hint from them them that you're doing something you're not supposed to, kiss your ass goodbye."

Jobe flinched when she said that, he hadn't heard profanity from any one of them before. "Well... all I can say, is good luck finding something. Because unless it's buried somewhere in my past life, you won't find it."

She started to walk away, before Jobe remembered one more thing. "Oh, by the way, she told me she wants to leave because you don't give her enough freedom, not because of expression. She feels like there's too many restrictions on her... I don't know after what you told me, but that's what she said."

"Well... we'll have this talk again after two days."

**o-o**

While Kayla had to dreadfully remain inside, the rest of the family, plus Jobe, went out to the shoreline. It was within walking distance, about 150 feet away. He hated to leave her alone like that, but there was no way either parent would let him go and see her. Even if she couldn't see him; it was both their punishment, although hers was worse.

It definitely would not be as fun without her it would be with, but he had to show them that Kayla wasn't the only reason for going. Mr. Payton had a rather large boat, and he offered to take everyone out on the water.

"Hop on." he said, lending Sierra a hand.

"I think I'll stay." Shannon said. "Watch over Kayla, to make sure she doesn't try to go outside."

Kenny raised an eyebrow. "You're going to talk to her... fine, whatever." he responded, right as Jobe got on.

**o-o**

_The boat? I've never even been on that boat before... and they all get to, not me... _Kayla sighed, as she saw them through the window. _Guess this is what happens when you get caught._

Bored, she walked aimlessly around the house, opening closets and seeing what she could find. Most of the closets were empty, since no one stayed here but for a week at a time, but there was one that was locked, up on the third floor.

_This... shouldn't be locked. There's something in there... wonder what? Nothing I can think of that's so important to be kept here and not at home. Unless..._

She tried to open it, but the lock wasn't budging. _Dammit, it's one of those Magnezone locks... _Frustrated, she gave up and walked back down the stairs, to find her mom had come back inside.

"What were you doing up there?" her mom asked her.

At first, Kayla decided not to respond to anything her parents said, until the punishment was lifted, then changed her mind. _That's what a little kid would do... and obviously I'm not a little kid._

"Snooping. That's what happens when you get bored."

Shannon sat down at the table. "C'mon. You need to talk."

Kayla sighed, then sat down across from her. "What?"

"Something is going on, and I want to know what it is. The truth, and nothing but. Tell me when this really started."

"You have to promise this won't change anything but for the better. You can't get me in trouble for anything I'm about to say." she said.

Shannon's eyes narrowed. "That means you did something. It depends what it is, how bad the penalty will be."

"You don't even know if I did anything yet, and I'm already in trouble? You're treating me like Nick!"

Mrs. Payton _almost _smiled at that. Almost. "It depends what it is, whether you're in trouble and how bad it will be."

Kayla shook her head. "It'll remain a secret until you promise, because I promise you, Jobe won't say anything right now."

"Young lady! I don't know who you think you are, but so far as I know, you aren't the parent, and you're not in charge. I'll punish you if you don't tell me, and I'll probably punish you for what you did!" Shannon said, starting to get tired of this.

She made a motion that looked like zipping her lips. "Nothing. Nothing is coming out."

Mrs. Payton stood up and pointing to Kayla's room. "You're going to spend those two days in that room. You've got a bathroom, Kenny will bring your food to you. Maybe this will kick some sense into you."

Almost starting to sniffle, Kayla marched to her room, and _slammed _the door.

Shannon looked up, wiping tears from her eyes. "Oh Lord, why did you make this so hard?"

**o-o**

Kenny's boat wouldn't start for some odd, convenient reason, so they ended up staying on land.

"It hasn't been out in the water for a while, so there's no telling." he said, trying to figure out why it wouldn't start.

Jobe shrugged. He glanced behind him, he saw Sierra and Nick doing something in the sand a little ways away.

"Hey, Mr. Payton? You know all that just happened earlier? Well... I'm sure she doesn't tell you everything, but she tells me that it's not her feeling insecure or whatever. Well, I guess you could say that, but she's telling me that she can sleep hardly at all now. It's like that's all her mind is on, is... me. Probably not a good thing, but..." Jobe said, trying not to say it the wrong way and take two steps back.

He nodded slowly. "I kinda already know that. But something like this doesn't need to be told to me, but her mom. She's the one you need to talk to about this. And not that I want to stay out or anything, but I think she can talk to Kayla better than I can."

Jobe bit his lip. This was going the wrong way. "But see... here's the problem. Your wife hates me right now. I tried to talk to her about it right after, and she gave me an earful. I could barely think after all she had said. And everything she said was true..."

Kenny sighed. "Jobe, can I tell you a secret?" He nodded. "Us parents, contrary to what almost every kid your age thinks, know what we're talking about. Remember, we were rebel, hormone-crazed teenagers like yourselves at one time, too. We didn't want rules either. They were, a 'drag' as we hipsters called it. Parents then were 'lame' and 'old-fashioned'. So we know what you're both going through, because it happened to us. And you may think that we're doing the same thing our parents would've done, but that's not true. Everything is different; the people, times, and situations. Heck, my dad, when I first started dating, just about loved every single girl I dated. Mom wasn't quite the same. But you want to know why? It was because, either way, they were trying to support me and my decision on who to date. Eventually I really got it right, after much trial and error." he said, smiling. "I can't speak for Shannon, but I'm trying to emulate my dad, because I almost never butted heads with him over something, and when I did, it wasn't fun. But I'm trying to do the same thing that he did, and support Kayla's decision on who to be with. I won't say it was a good or bad one, but it just is."

Jobe wasn't sure whether to take offense to that or not. "Thanks, I guess. "So... I have to check with her and see if she's doing what her mom did?"

"See? It works already. We get along just fine. I'm not sure if that's a good idea. It'd be better to just try to just prove to her on this trip what you really do and don't want to do. Since you are a guy and not a girl, it's going to be harder for her to relate like we do. I think that if this is really what you want, nothing is going to stand in your way. The trick isn't to jump over that rock in the path, but to chip it away."

"Mr. Payton? You need to write motivational quotes."

He smiled wide. "Hmm... really? I think heading up a company is enough work as it is."

"Well, I guess I'll try to do something. Just not sure what to do yet..." Jobe said, trying to think of a solution.

"You could start by not sleeping with Kayla anymore. That might help."

Jobe protested that fact. "Hey, I had no idea, and you know it. And, anymore? That never happened before."

Kenny smiled. "Don't lie, Jobe. It's _very _hard to sleep alone in a bed, when the girl or guy you like is across the room, also alone. Next to impossible, and I know she couldn't stand it for long."

Now Jobe was stuck. "Okay, fine. Yeah, I guess we've slept together before. But nothing ever happened, that much is true. I don't even like... that feeling."

"You mean when you get 'turned on'? It is kind of hard to deal with. I'm rather surprised that you haven't done anything you shouldn't yet. Has she... asked you about it?"

_He already knows that much now... might as well go the whole way. _"Yeah, I guess so... but every time, she says the same thing I do, that it can't and won't happen now. Well, almost every time. There was this one time when she got carried away. The worst part was, was that I was entranced too... But at the last second, I woke up and stopped her before anything happened."

"So you've been that close? It can be hard to say no to a girl sometimes- damn hard. Especially to one like her. I have seen... pedophiles trying to do stuff before, about a year or two ago. It's a good thing I conceal carry."

_Okay, now I'm starting to get scared here. _"Ah, well... umm... I don't know what to do now..."

"If it helps any, I'll talk to Shannon, but she thinks I'm crazy for jumping to that conclusion that fast. I'm guessing her mom was the opposite of my dad... you really do love her, don't you? All this trouble, I would've quit. Sayonara, too much bureaucracy for me." Kenny said, seeing if reverse psychology worked on Jobe.

It didn't. "Heck yeah, I do. And it's not that bad, just one-half of it is. She told me why, I'm just not sure how to resolve it. Said something about a lie, like if what I say was true or not."

He took a breath. "Me personally, I think just like my dad did; that is to let her have the whole experience, whether good or bad, and let her learn from it. Yes, I'll give her warnings and crap like that, and I did. But she still wanted to go with it, so I supported her. And I still do. But Shannon's not like that. She does know more about how girls act about this stuff, but I do think she is overreacting a little bit. See, she has to know everything about you, and how and why it's that way, and not another. Instead of just accepting you as you are, she wants to change you, hopefully for the better. It's not just you, she does the same thing with my business, and actually used to, because I couldn't stand it anymore. But anyway, I don't think you seduced Kayla into sleeping with you, as she at first did. That doesn't seem logical, but sometimes what we as parents want can't always be the same that our children want. She doesn't want Kayla to do the same thing she did, and that's get married at a young age. We got married when she was 19, and I was 21. She's trying to protect her from whatever trouble comes from being married that young. Again, I still think that it's her life and her experience, but I don't want Kayla's heart to be broken after a marriage, if it didn't work out. That's what I think she's thinking right now, and it's blocking out her 'neutral' view on things. She's much more strict on everything now, all because of this. But, it'll fade away just like everything else does, and life will return to normal."

Jobe's back stiffened. "You mean she's gonna kick me out for good?"

Kenny chuckled. "No, I seriously doubt that. Kayla likes you too much for her to do that. Think about it; If we kicked you out right now, one of two things would happen. 1, she would sneak out and leave with you, or 2, try to make our lives as miserable as possible. I think it's better to allow it than deny it. Guess who's trying to deny it."

He nodded. "I see... So you'll try to talk to her?"

"Yes, but even I can't do but so much. I'll try..." he said, right as Sierra called him to show their dad the sand castle that her and Nick had made. Jobe sighed, glad to have that talk done. Now he just had to patch it up with Shannon, and all would hopefully be better...

**o-o**

The rest of the family stayed outside until lunch, then they came in for a break.

Kenny noticed that Kayla wasn't anywhere to be found. "She's stuck in her room until she tells you what?"

"We'll talk about this later. Sandwiches okay for lunch?" Shannon replied.

"Yes, that's fine. But first, come here." he said, leading her to the foyer. He then lowered his voice to a whisper. "This is starting to go too far. She's in her room for what?"

Mrs. Payton raised an eyebrow. "Too far? And she's there because she wouldn't answer my question. I wanted to know what went on in those hotels, and no lies or excuses this time."

"That's what is too far. You yourself just said earlier today, that she invaded his privacy by sneaking into his room. And you want to invade her privacy, when she has every right to keep whatever it is a secret. And, she-"

"You're going crazy. Are you forgetting that we're her parents? Not friends, Kenny. Parents. We need to know this stuff, it's our job to protect them from any danger. We have to know." she said, not quite getting where he was going with this.

He crossed his arms. "Let me ask you something... She is 18. Legally, we cannot tell her what to do anymore. I'm not sure if she knows that or not, but that's the law. It would be much better if she didn't know, but I have a feeling that something that important can't evade her for long. So here is what I'm thinking: I just had an interesting talk with Jobe, and I'm still convinced. Maybe not ecstatic knowing what Kayla wants to do with him, but I think you are being rather strict on them. Kids will be kids, Shannon. She knows what she is and isn't supposed to do. The only thing is making sure she knows the consequences of doing something that doesn't need to be done. She knows-"

Once again, Mrs. Payton interrupted him, except this time it was with a slap on the face. "I can't believe what you are saying. Do you realize how close they were? And it's just going to get worse. At first, they were behaving. Doing typical girl-boyfriend stuff, at least I hope so. Then she started to act rebellious, and it just kept growing and growing into something almost uncontrollable. Now she wants to sleep with him. What's next? You and I both know."

"Wait a minute here... you just said acting rebellious, right? Acting rebellious to us, or our rules. So... how do you stop it? I've got news for you: There is no way you will be able to punish Kayla, or Jobe enough for them to follow those rules. It works for little kids, but they're not little anymore. I see only two other solutions. One is to kick them out and don't even worry about it anymore, but I know that won't happen. The other is to loosen up on those rules a little bit, and instead of saying 'No', say 'Okay, but...' Do you get what I'm saying? Use sleeping together as an example. Instead of disallowing it right off the board, let them, but only in an open room, like the pull-out couch in the living room. You could do the same thing with anything else, including them leaving or staying here. We could let them leave, but they have to come back by a certain time. And that way, they couldn't go but so far without having to return." he said, hoping she would see the same thing he did.

Shannon thought for a second. "One thing. That may work, but only while they're under our surveillance. Once they're alone, there's no more rules. Because they don't have to obey anything when we can't make sure they are. And-"

"And that's the reason why what you're thinking, won't work. Exactly, they don't have to listen to a word we say when they're alone. That's why you need to be able to trust them that they will listen. What do both Kayla and Jobe want from us? They want us to trust them. So, what do we do? We let them stay, on the condition that they obey every single thing we tell them. And if they screw up, it's done. They'll be separated, and for good. Have you forgotten we have cameras all over the place here? They're hooked up to my computer at the house, we can watch and make sure they don't do anything. This is what we're going to do, and then you'll see that what I'm saying will work."

She nodded quickly, obviously frustrated that she couldn't get through to him. "Right. Right, that's smart. Let the two hormone-crazed teenagers, stay alone in a huge house, free to do whatever they want. That'll work. Alright then. We'll let them stay. And when Kayla comes home pregnant and out of money, I'll know exactly who to blame. Fine then... but she is still going to stay in that room until Wednesday. And we'll only let her stay if she behaves during that time."

Kenny took a breath. "All that I'm saying is to lighten up a little. He told me that she almost cried because she feels so restricted right now. I remember being at her age, I hated it when my parents said no. I tried breaking out several times. And when I wanted to do something really badly, they let me, but still had tabs on me. But I knew that if I didn't listen to what they said, all that freedom I spent the previous 17 years working on would have gone down the tubes. That's why I'm suggesting this, is because it worked for me and my parents, and there is no reason why it won't work here."

She closed her eyes, then shrugged and walked back into the kitchen. Jobe was standing by the table, serving the sandwiches to Sierra and Nick.

"Oh, y'all are done? I made 1 for everybody, but you'll probably eat more, Mr. Payton." he said, washing his hands.

Shannon was surprised that he fixed lunch for everyone. "Even Kayla? How did you know what she likes without asking her?"

He pointed to Sierra. "Ask her, she knows what you two like. And I already knew what Kayla liked. No I haven't taken it to her, because I can't."

"Mmm... nice job, Jobe. Thank you." Kenny said, taking his plate off the counter and winking at Shannon, who grunted as she took hers.

**o-o**

Kayla, being stuck in the room, was bored out of her mind. But she missed Jobe more than she was bored. _I hope they don't really make me stay up here the whole two days... _

She heard someone knock on the door. "Come in..." she said, trying to sound as miserable as possible.

Her mom walked in, carrying a plate with a sandwich and chips. "Lunch time." she said, handing it over to Kayla.

Shannon took a breath. "Listen, Kayla... I know this is a new experience for you. And it is for me and your dad, too. So we're all learning what works and what doesn't here. Do you know why you're up here?"

It sounded like a trick question. "It's not because I slept with him, wouldn't tell you about the trip, or because I'm acting weird. It's for thinking about doing, or not doing all that stuff... right?"

"Well, no. You _are_ up here because you wouldn't tell me. But... you've got to understand that since it is a life lesson we're learning here, some things just have to be done so that we can learn them. And for you, that's being stuck in this room."

Kayla shook her head. "But being stuck in here doesn't make me like Jobe any less, mom. It makes me want him more... haven't you noticed that I was just fine when I first came home? Then you said I couldn't leave, and punished me for it. And you wonder why I keep getting worse and worse, well you know how when you get hungry? You feed yourself to remedy that. You don't starve yourself to prevent from being hungry. It doesn't work that way. It's the same thing here, don't starve my want to be with him."

"...So that's what you're saying too? Is don't punish what you're doing wrong?" she said in disbelief.

"Too?" Kayla responded.

Shannon nodded. "Your dad said the same thing... so all I know about parenting is wrong? My own daughter thinks better than me."

"That's crazy, of course not. But just using logic, that's not the way it SHOULD work. By preventing me from seeing Jobe like I want to, you make me miss and want him more, if that makes sense."

She paused, realizing that Kayla was right. "I'm sorry, then, for making you feel so restrained. I just thought that all this had gone to your head. I didn't want you to get carried away, and do something you would regret later on. Just promise me that you won't do anything like that, okay? And I'll try to be less strict from now on..."

Kayla felt tears swell up. It was _extremely _rare that a parent apologizes to a teenager. To her, this was something that she knew would not happen again. "That's okay, and yes, I promise. And I'll promise for Jobe, too. But you're my mom. You're supposed to try to be overprotective and stuff. I know it's not because I'm a bad kid, but because you love me, and don't want anything bad to happen."

Now Kayla had an opportunity to really lay it on, but she had to do it nicely. "But you've just got to remember that I am old enough to take care of myself now, and you can't protect me from everything. Letting me try and fail on my own sometimes, is what's best for me."

Shannon was obviously holding back too. She held her arms out for a hug. Kayla took it, and they were caught in a loving embrace, for the first time in a long time.

After a minute, they let go. "Aren't you going to eat your sandwich? Jobe made it special, just for you." Shannon said, still sniffling a little bit.

"Really?" she said.

"Yes..." she thought for a second. "Why don't you... come downstairs and eat?"

Kayla expression didn't change. "I didn't think I could leave the room, though. And if Jobe's down there, I can't."

"Well... don't you think that's a little strict now? Like you said, if you're hungry, don't starve yourself." she said with a twinkle in her eye.

"So... you mean..."

Shannon nodded. "Yes, your punishment is lifted. Go down and see him."

Almost instantaneously, Kayla sped down the stairs, and saw him standing in front of the TV, about to sit down. She jumped right over the couch and tackled him.

"Hey what the crap?" he said, trying to sit back up. "Kayla? What're you doing down here?"

"Mom said I wasn't stuck in my room anymore." she said, closing her eyes and kissing him.

He let her go for a second, then pushed her off. "Not in here. Your dad is just around the corner..." he whispered.

"I don't care anymore. She said that she was going to be less strict about this stuff. Just shut up and enjoy it." she said, forcing herself on him again.

_Kayla, I know you're excited and all, but you need to calm down... _He thought to himself. He let her feed on his face for a little longer, then pushed her off again. "Alright, that's enough. You have to breathe sometime. Now what do you mean by 'less strict'?" he said, getting up and sitting on the couch.

She shrugged. "I have no idea. But I don't care right now. Just hold me..." she said, sitting down on his lap.

_Why is she acting so weird right now? _"Why are you acting so weird right now?"

"Weird? You think that loving you is weird? What's wrong with _you?_ I guess that's what happens when you don't see me for days."

"Kayla? You were only up there for a few hours." he said. "Were you asleep or something?"

She shrugged. "I guess it just felt that way. So what'd you do?"

"Umm... I went outside, and came back in. Then I fixed lunch. And you came and pulled a Joe Thomas on me."

She giggled. "Interesting... not. Without me, your life is so boring. C'mon, let's go do something." she said, trying to stand him up.

"Kayla, don't get carried away. Just cause your parents said they were being less strict doesn't mean any rules. You're still not sharing a bed with me."

She looked at him funny. "What the heck are you talking about? I was gonna get you to fly me over the bay."

"Oh..."

**o-o**

Kenny heard someone flying so fast down the stairs, it sounded like a jet plane or something. _Nick... _he concluded. _Shannon must've said 'ice cream' or something. _He heard a loud crash, then some talking. He disregarded it all and glanced back over to the computer screen.

After a few more minutes, he heard the back door shut, and then a knock on his own. "Come in." he said, and it opened to his wife.

She shut the office door behind her. "Kenny... I... did what you said I should do. I told Kayla that we would be less strict, and... I let her go."

"Good... I'm glad you did. Let her go? What did you do?" he asked her.

"I told her she didn't have to stay in that room anymore. She ran down the stairs faster than anything I have ever seen before, even Nick for ice cream."

He chuckled at how convenient that was. "Well I'm surprised. Surprised that you did that, but I guess I'm glad you did. Now you just need to keep an eye on both of them, and make sure they don't get too far. I set this computer up so you can watch the security cameras on here. So you can sneak in here in the middle of the night and watch whatever they're doing in that room. But-"

"Wait, middle of the night?" she interrupted. "You would let them sleep together again? I wasn't going to go that far."

"It's all up to you. I actually have to leave... something went wrong at the plant. A huge explosion, luckily no one was hurt. Somehow, someone set up a bomb and detonated it, blew up half the whole building." he said.

She was shocked. "What? How is that even possible? I thought it was guarded by aircraft."

"It is. They evaded them somehow. And the exact location of where it exploded, was directly on the lead 'copters target view. This is strange, that' why I have to go." he said, closing out a program. "And during all this bad luck, I just thought of something. Why don't you and me go back home? We can leave Jobe and Kayla here, until we come back. Take the other two with us, and this can be the real test for them."

"Oh, I don't know about this. Are you sure?"

He smiled. "Trust me on this one. You trusted me 21 years ago, can you trust me for a second time?"

She thought for a second, then nodded slowly. "Alright... I'll go. But I'm checking that camera system every hour." Kenny chuckled, then they both left the office.

**o-o**

Jobe closed his eyes and took a breath. Right as he began to will his body to change, both her parents walked out on the porch. Kayla tapped Jobe on the shoulder.

Shannon cleared her throat. "Hey... we've got some bad news..."

**o-o-o**

**Yes, it's done. A long chapter, and a long wait. But I hope it was worth it, a lot happened, so I might write a recap next chapter. And speaking of which, Chapter 20, is going to be absolutely dynamic. So we'll see you then.**


	20. I will

**A/N: ****Song is "Awake and Alive" by Skillet. You could also do the remix, too.**

**Ages 16+. YAY! Another semi-adult chapter!**

_{- BU- -M -} 2_ dashes.

**o-o-o**

"We have some bad news..." Shannon started.

"What's wrong?" Kayla said, obviously worried. Jobe had a similar expression on his face.

Kenny sighed. "There was an explosion at the plant. Took out half the whole building. Thankfully no one was hurt, but I've got to go back and file claims and all this other stuff."

"So... you're leaving? But mom's staying, right?" she said, glancing at both of them.

Shannon shook her head. "No, I might as well go back with him too. We'll leave tonight, and take Nick and Sierra with us."

"Oh, shoot... just when I started to have fun, we... wait a minute, you're taking Nick and Sierra with you, that means..."

Her mom smiled, but it looked like a fake grin. "Yes, the two of you can stay here throughout the rest of the week. Me and Kenny talked about it, and we decided that because of all the stuff we put you through recently, we owe it to you. So you'll have this place to yourselves until Sunday... but only on 1 condition: You won't do anything that you wouldn't normally do if you were at your own house. That's it."

Kayla's eyes lit up. At first she didn't believe what they were saying. "So we really get to stay here? Why? I mean, that's great and all, but what made you change your mind?"

"Like your mom said, we felt that you deserved something after all we put you through the last couple days. And this is something you really wanted, so there you go. But don't you take it for granted, understand?"

She nodded quickly. "Yessir! And yes ma'am. Thanks so much!" she said, walking over and giving them both a hug. Kenny looked over her shoulder, and saw Jobe giving him a thumbs up.

**o-o**

For the rest of the day, Shannon repacked all of the stuff, save for Kayla's suitcase. Kenny secured the boat down, and checked to make sure that the rest of the hatches were battened down.

"Alright then, we're off. Make sure you two behave, and I'm serious about this! It won't be good if you don't." Mrs. Payton said, as they got into the taxi.

Both teens waved goodbye, then Kayla eagerly pulled Jobe inside.

"Okay, what the heck? I can't believe this... what did you do to them?" she said.

"I didn't do anything. I just-"

She put a finger to his lips. "Shhhhh... hear that?" He shook his head. "Me neither." she said, kissing him.

"Where do you get all these witty remarks? I couldn't think of any of those to save my life. You got a book somewhere?"

Kayla raised an eyebrow. "You're mean. Of course I don't have a book. I'm just funny, unlike you."

He poked her in the stomach. "Now _that _was mean... so now what do you want to do?"

She put her hands on her hips. "Hmm, let me see. No parents, no rules, and nothing to do. It's nice and sunny outside, right on the beach front. Well, I don't want to go outside today. Let's stay inside. So what do we do in here?"

"I can't think of anything... you?"

She gave him a scary grin. "Let's just make out for now." she said, shoving him down on the couch. She followed up and sat down on his lap. "So... you wanna listen to my parents or not?"

He felt himself getting pulled into her entrancement. "Uhh... I hope you're gonna listen to them..." as she slowly kissed him.

She was just playing with him now, trying to get as close as possible, but not quite going over the edge. "Maaaaybbbbeee... I don't really feel like doing it right now... maybe later." she said, giving him a quick kiss then getting up off of him.

Jobe licked his lips, then tried to shake himself out of the feelings of drunkenness that she had left him with. "You need to umm... uhh..."

Kayla smiled, seeing that his mind was still clouded. _He is so under my thumb right now... I could do anything I wanted to... shame I can't right now. _"So what do I need to do? Stop? Or keep going?"

"Nnn... stop. I can't..." he said, shaking his head.

She bit her lip when she glanced down. "Oh... maybe I did go too far. Sorry Jobe."

"It doesn't matter anymore." he grunted.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

He shook his head, then got up and ran to his room, slamming the door behind him.

Kayla was puzzled. _What just got into him? _She went over by his door.

"Jobe? What's wrong? Do you want to talk about it? Open the door." she said calmly.

There was a pause. "You open it."

She shrugged, and reached on top of the edging for the key. She grabbed the key and used it to open the door.

Inside, she found that Jobe was sitting on his bed, head in his hands.

"Jobe! What's wrong?" she said, dashing over next to where he was.

He shook his head, then slowly laid back on the bed, revealing a smiling face, followed by a burst of laughter.

"You... you are such a jerk! I can't believe you would lead me on like that." she said, slapping him on the leg.

"Yes, I am... but seriously. Not even 5 minutes after your parents leave, and you already assault me like that. Really? I'm starting to think you're obsessed with me, like too much."

She closed her eyes. "You don't understand, and you probably never will. But I'll try... See, girls have this thing... well, it makes us feel... hot and sweaty. But it's not all the time, it sorta comes and goes. And I'm feeling it right now, but there's really only 1 way to completely eradicate it, without just letting it fade away... but we can't do that right now. So I guess I'm trying to get as close as possible, to kind of alleviate it... I looked it up online, and I think the way they put it is 'compulsive hyper-sexuality' or something like that..." she said, looking into his eyes. It looked like whatever she had just said went straight through him. Kayla couldn't help but giggle. "Oh, forget it. I'm just sick. I don't feel good, so I'm trying to make myself feel better. But you can't catch it anymore, so don't worry about it. I'm... taking medicine and stuff already." she said, patting him on the back.

"Uhh..." his tongue was caught by the cat. "... whatever. As long as you feel okay, and you're not whacked."

"No. I'm fine. It's normal."

He nodded slowly. "Right... I guess."

"Okay... what're we having for dinner?" she asked him.

"Dinner?"

**o-o-o**

After boarding the plane, Shannon couldn't help but think about her daughter being alone with Jobe.

Her husband must've noticed it. "What's wrong? Can't let go of your girl that easy?"

"Kenny, it's not funny. I am worried, just as any parent should be. My question is, why aren't you?" she said.

"Worried? Over what? She is with perhaps the strongest person in the world. When she's with him, I don't think there is anything in the world that could harm either one of them. I'm not worried at all."

She frowned. "Stupid! I know that. I mean aren't you worried that he might take advantage of being alone with her?"

Kenny shook his head. "Nope. He didn't before, why should he now? And even if he did, we would be able to find out, and let him know we meant business."

"And by that time, it will be too late. You have to act before something like this happens." she said, shaking her head.

"Okay. Okay, fine. Maybe you do. But we didn't, and I'll assume full responsibility if anything does happen, but it won't anyway." Shannon grunted.

**o-o-o**

"Let's go get pizza. There's a nice restaurant closer to town, let's go." she said, pulling him off of the bed.

"Well, why are you pulling me up then? You gotta get out so I can get dressed." he said, pointing to the door.

She bit her lip. "Why do I? Remember what I just said? Trying to get as close to you as possible, and you want me to leave. Get your clothes and come into my room."

"Hey, whoa. No way. You get out of mine, I'll meet you in the den." he said, pushing her out.

She crossed her arms. "Hmph..." she said, before sticking her tongue out and walking across the loft to her room, conveniently leaving the door wide open.

Jobe rolled his eyes, then shut his and changed.

_Why is she so uncontrollable when her parents aren't here? Even when they are here, she's still a loose cannon. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea staying here alone with her... _He thought to himself, as he walked down the stairs to the den.

Right at that moment, the phone rang. Kayla must've still been upstairs, because it rang 3 times without her picking it up. He grabbed the phone and answered.

"H-hello?"

"_... Happy happy birthday, I hope you pop that blister! Happy happy birthday, have you kissed my sister?"_

Jobe almost hung up, shocked by what he just heard. "Uhh, what? Who is this?"

"_... You can't tell? It's Kayla's brother, Matt! I'm guessing and hoping that this is Jobe?" _was 'Matt's' reply.

"Uhh, yeah it is. H-how're you doing?"

"_... I hope that's not what you said to her when you asked her out. Cause if so, she picked a spaz... Naw, I'm just playing. I'm doing great. Is my pop there? Tell him I'll be there in a little bit. I got to go now, see ya in a few!"_

"Wait! Don't..." _Click. _Matt had hung up, leaving Jobe to wonder how this would work out.

Soon after, Kayla came downstairs, in a rather short black dress, only going up half her thighs. "What're you doing in shorts and a t-shirt? This is a fancy place we're going to, get into something nicer." she said, noticing what he was wearing.

"Yeah, but Kayla... that was your brother on the phone. He's on his way."

Her reaction wasn't what Jobe thought it would've been. "Oh... really? Did you tell him it was just us here?"

"No, he hung up before I got the chance. He sounds... creepy." he said, a chill going down his spine.

"Creepy? Matt's not creepy at all. Why, what'd he say?" she said, sitting down next to him on the couch.

"He sung some weird birthday song... I dunno, something about that just creeped me out. Anyway, are we still going to dinner?"

"Umm..." she thought for a second. "Yeah, we can. But I'll leave a note saying we'll be back around 11 or so. He's got a key to get in here." she said, writing it down.

"11? What're we doing to stay out so late? It's only 5:32 now." he said, glancing at the clock.

She playfully shrugged. "I don't know... nothing really... but first, you need to-"

"Shhh!" Jobe interrupted her.

"What? Oh, you're playing that joke on me, except-"

He shook his head, then cupped his hand over her mouth. There was a quiet rustling noise coming from what sounded like the kitchen.

Jobe slowly stood up, tiptoeing to the food room, with Kayla close behind.

"What is it?" she whispered.

He didn't answer, only peering through the doorway to see ZoRoark, digging her way into the pantry for food.

Jobe was alarmed. How had she gotten out of the Poke Ball? He backed away from the kitchen, then whispered to Kayla to hide behind the couch or something. She reluctantly obeyed, allowing him to sneak back over to the doorway.

He took a breath, then jumped into the room, ready to fight. Roark didn't budge.

"Shut up. Too hungry, no fight now." was her response.

"Too hungry? What? Get out of here and leave us alone!" he said, getting into an attack position.

"Stop. No fight or human get pain. Me stronger now, you weaker. Darkrai find secret. Darkrai come back here."

Jobe leapt at Roark, tackling her to the ground. She effortlessly pushed him off.

"I SAID no fighting!"

Just then, Roark's scratchy voice changed into something familiar; a voice that had evil in it. No, the voice didn't just contain evil, it _was _evil.

Roark's body then changed form, into a floating black shadowy creature, one that Jobe instantly recognized.

"Darkrai? How did you get back here? I thought you were-"

"Yes, in the depository, I know. And I do not find it humorous at all, on the contrary. That was the second worse action your precious human female friend could have done in her short lifetime."

Jobe turned his head. "Second?"

"Mmm... but I'm not going to tell you what did not happen. Tell me... is she well?" Darkrai said, in his smooth dialog.

"Why do you care? Yes she is just fine, for all you know." Jobe combated, trying not to fall for his mind games.

Darkrai shook his head. "But I do know... I know some things about her that you don't know, because she won't tell you. She won't tell you because she thinks it will hurt your feelings, or make you leave. Now... should I tell you what those things are?"

As tempting as that sounded, it could've been a trick, since Darkrai wasn't about to do anything for nothing. "No I don't, if I want to know I'll ask her. Now get out or I'll make you, just like last time."

Darkrai snickered. "It seems to me that my company is not welcome here... fine. I just wanted to let you know that I am awake and alive, whether you thought otherwise or not. Fine... I shall leave you two alone for a while, to let you do what I want you to. Do not worry, it will be a good long while. You can keep Roark, I no longer need her. She had been contaminated anyhow. You shall be hearing from me again..." he said, before slipping through the floor.

The first thing that came to Jobe's mind was to make sure Kayla was still behind that sofa. He dashed over, and she still was, obviously bored.

"Oh! There you are. What was it? You were starting to scare me." she remarked.

"Darkrai... he was just here. Said that he was 'awake and alive', whatever that means."

She thought for a second. "So he can shapeshift too? Cause that was Roark in there when I looked."

Jobe hadn't thought of that. "Oh... I guess so. I knew it was a fake when I tackled him, and just threw me off like I was nothing."

"Sure you did... So where'd he go? Just flew off somewhere?"

"Straight through the floor. Said he was going to leave us alone for a while... to do what he wants us to." he said, trying to think of what that meant.

"Do what he wants us to? What the heck is that? I'm not doing what he wants." she said.

Jobe shrugged. "If you don't know what it is, it doesn't make a difference. I don't know..." he said, then remembered what they were about to do. "Let's just go out to dinner, and worry about this later."

"Then go upstairs and change. I'll wait for you in the... oh dang. We don't have a car." she said, realizing they were virtually stuck there.

"What? Seriously? There's not one here? Ugh... then I guess we'll just have to get delivery. What do you want, a pizza?"

"I'll order it. You go and change, we're still going to have a nice dinner." she said, picking up the phone.

Jobe ran upstairs and changed into something a little bit nicer than his old jeans and t-shirt. Not that he had much of a selection, but he had enough.

When he came back downstairs, Kayla was sitting on the couch, watching TV.

"It'll be here in a little bit... want to do something in the meantime?" she said, biting her lip.

He shrugged, knowing very well what she was going to try. "We don't have to, we can just sit and watch TV, fine with me." he said, taking one of the recliners.

Kayla seemed disturbed that he didn't sit down next to her. He could tell that she wanted either one of them to move, just by looking at the way she was curling her toes up.

Jobe decided to play with her a bit. "Something wrong, Kayla?"

Her response wasn't immediate. "Huh? Oh, no. Just waiting for the pizza..."

"Mmm..." She still looked distressed, but it was obvious that she was trying to hide it. "I'm gonna go out on the porch."

Almost instantly, she jumped up. "Me too." she said, following him out.

Since it was almost past 6, the sun has started its slow descent down past the horizon. What was visible of it, made a beautiful crepusular light across the sky and beyond.

It captivated Kayla, as it does with most girls. "Wow... this is so beautiful, I haven't seen anything like it..."

Jobe wasn't as intrigued by it as she was, but it was pretty. "Me neither. Just like you."

She blushed. "Ohh... I didn't need to hear that."

"Hmm? Why not?" he said, leaning closer to her.

"Cause... I just didn't." she said, luring him in to her face. "I just..."

Then their lips met, pouring out all the emotions in the process. It was this type of kiss that allowed Kayla to release some of those pent-up feelings that were being held captive. She moaned quietly in his mouth, making him shudder.

The kiss continued for a few more seconds, then was interrupted by a bell, a doorbell.

"Oh damn it!" Kayla exclaimed. "Why is it that something always has to disrupt us..." she said, marching off to go answer the door.

She opened it, and a young man appeared in front of them. He had shaggy blond hair, wearing cargo shorts and a designer overshirt.

"Heeeeeyyy sis! It's a-me!" he said, opening his arms out for a hug. Obviously this was Matt, Kayla's brother.

"Oh, hey Matt! Come on in, we just ordered pizza." she said, allowing him to enter. "Well, this is Jobe. Jobe, this is Matt." They both shook hands.

"Nice to meet you." Jobe simply said.

"What, that's it? C'mon now, be brave and start up a convo with a complete stranger. So whatch y'all been doin'?" he said with a chuckle.

Kayla shrugged. "Nothing really. Daddy and the rest were here earlier, but there was some explosion at the plant, so they had to leave."

Matt stopped, taken aback. "Well... was anyone hurt?"

"No, everything was fine. He just had to sign insurance papers and crap."

"Ah... so, it's just you two here now?" he asked.

"You too." Jobe answered.

Matt smiled. "Hmm... so how did you trick him into letting you stay here alone?"

"Trick? I didn't trick him. I guess you could say this was a surprise." she shrugged.

"Well, you guys can't do anything fun if I'm here now... maybe I'll just stay in town..."

Jobe saw this as a golden opportunity, he just had to hit it before Kayla did. "No no, we'd love to have your company, wouldn't we?" he said, nudging her.

"Yeah, I guess so..." she said, obviously bummed.

Matt thought for a second. "Eh, what the heck! Where's my room?" he said, throwing his bags halfway up the stairs. "I'll get em later. When's chow?"

"Whenever it gets here." Jobe said, eying him suspiciously.

"Ah... so what's up with the clothes? Going out?"

"Well," Kayla started. "Well we were going to, then remembered that there's no car here. So we can't leave, unless you brought one."

Matt shook his head. "Nope, I walked."

"Walked? It's like 5 miles from here to the airport."

"That's not far at all... anyways, hopefully we won't have to leave anywhere." he turned to Jobe. "So tell me... nah, nevermind. Don't."

Now Jobe couldn't help but wonder what he was going to ask him. He shrugged it off, though, and sat down next to Kayla.

After a few minutes of sitting, doing nothing, Matt shook his head and sighed.

"Boy... don't tell me this is what you do when no one else is here. Is it?" he remarked.

"Of course not! Just waiting for the pizza to get here." Kayla said.

"Good. Now what do you do?"

Neither knew exactly how to answer that. So far, Jobe's impression of her brother was a very sarcastic and fun person, but one who might not get serious when he needed to. Anything said could turn into a huge joke that they'd never live down.

"Umm... well, before you got here, we were on the porch watching the sun set." Kayla said carefully.

He nodded. "And what were you doing out there? I know you weren't just standing there watching it."

_Man he sees through everything... _Jobe thought to himself. "Well... we were... kissing, I guess..." she said, biting her lip.

Matt snapped. "There ya go. That's what I'm talking about. You should've done it at least 20 times since I've been here. You should be doing it right now."

"What? Why?" Jobe asked.

"Uhh, cause you're kinda attached to each other? At least, when I had a girlfriend, that's what we did."

Kayla nudged him. "See? He knows what he's talking about. C'mere..." she said, trying to pull him into yet another osculation.

He resisted, pushing her away. "No, not right now."

"Dude! What's wrong with you? Do you realize what you're pushing away here? If I wasn't related to her, dang... You and me gotta talk." Matt said, shaking his head.

Now Jobe was starting to get a second opinion of him. He seemed to be a rather... dim, fast-talking wise guy.

Kayla didn't want to have to deal with an argument right now. "So Matt, how long are you going to stay?"

"Whenever y'all leave I guess. Actually, I have to be out by Thursday, so that's..." he counted on his fingers. "2 days."

Jobe counted, and he came up with 3. "Uhh... you mean 3, right? The rest of today, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then you'll leave."

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Jobe rolled his eyes.

"So where do you work?" Jobe asked him.

At first, Matt seemed confused. "Oh, I don't call it work. It's more of a lifestyle, cause I enjoy it so much. I can't really tell you, cause it's kinda secret. But just know it's really cool, really fun, and really dangerous."

That answer didn't help much for Jobe, but he decided to just skip it.

Matt cleared his throat. "Now I've got one for you: have you been alone like this before?"

Neither answered immediately. They weren't sure how much to tell him.

"Well... no. Not like this, we haven't." Kayla lied.

"Then y'all are still new at this. I'll have to teach Jobe the ropes, then..." he said. "How much longer is this damn pizza gonna take?"

Kayla looked at her watch. "Yeah, it should've been here by now... wonder what happened?"

**o-o**

In the plane, Shannon couldn't help but wonder how they were doing on the ground. She kept twiddling her thumbs, trying to get her mind distracted.

Kenny noticed. "Jobe and Kayla are just fine, dear. You know that if anything happened, she would let you know as soon as possible."

Mrs. Payton shook her head slowly, then brought her voice down to a whisper. "Not if it's something she wants to happen."

"You're still thinking about that? I told you, they're too skeptical to try anything now. I know Kayla's smart; even if her womanly desires block out her sense sometimes. She wouldn't try anything unless there was no way we could find out, and we have 2 ways of finding out right now. 1 is the cameras, and 2 is Matt. He said he'd be there around 6, and it's a little past that now. They're doing just fine." he said, trying to reassure her.

"That doesn't mean they won't find a way."

Kenny sighed. Sometimes there was nothing you could say or do to change Shannon's mind. "It seems that there's nothing I can say or do to change your mind. I think they'll be just fine."

"I don't."

**o-o**

Finally, their dinner had arrive, 25 minutes late. Eagerly, they devoured the whole pepperoni pizza in less than 5 minutes.

"1? You only got 1? We're men, we eat more than you do." Matt said, still hungry.

Actually, Jobe was pretty full from 1 ½ slices. He gave the rest to Kayla, who had 2 and the rest of his. Matt ate the other 6.

"That was good..." she said, starting to go upstairs. Then she gestured for Jobe to follow, which he reluctantly did.

"Get some, Jobe..." Matt whispered, before he relaxed on the sofa.

Once they were in her room, Kayla sat down on her bed.

"So does Matt creep you out still?" she asked him.

Jobe shrugged. "Eh... is that an act of his, or is he really... stupid?"

"Stupid? He's not stupid at all. You know..." she lowered her voice to a whisper. "You know that job he was talking about? Well... he works for daddy. But he's kinda ashamed of it, so he doesn't want anyone to know."

"Ashamed? Snap, if I worked for him, I'd want the whole world to know."

She shook her head. "Well, he doesn't. I guess because some people would think he can't support himself, so he has to work in the family... I don't know. He is a little crazy sometimes..."

"A little." was Jobe's sarcastic remark. "I'm kinda scared of him though. He said he wants to 'show me the ropes' and 'we gotta talk'..."

Kayla giggled. "Ohh... I guess since you don't remember 'the talk' with your dad, he wants to-"

At that moment, Jobe suddenly felt his mind slipping away. He wasn't in the Payton's beach house anymore, he was sitting on a stoop, outside of an apartment. Next to him was an older man, in his early 50s.

"_And that's where babies REALLY come from... sorry we had to lie to you like that before, but you didn't need to know about this until now. But don't go to school, yelling everything I just told you out, because some parents might tell their kids something different... you understand?" _the man said.

Suddenly, Jobe came back to the beach house, being shaken by Kayla.

"Jobe? Joooobe! Stop ignoring me... " she said, starting to either get worried, or angry. He couldn't tell by the tone of her voice.

"Wha-? Kayla, I'm here I just had another one of those... weird visions." he said, shaking his head.

"Oh... sorry. What was it?"

He thought for a second. "Well... I think I just learned where babies really come from..." he said, shuddering.

Kayla laughed again. "Ahh... it's not as gross as it sounds. But how did you find out? Who told you?"

"No one told me. In the vision, I saw myself sitting next to a man, I guess it was my dad. I missed most of it, but I heard something about not saying anything to anybody at school. I didn't hear any... technical details." he said.

"Oh... then you've still got to know. Or not..." she giggled. "You don't have to, I can show you..." she said, giving him one of those smiles again.

"No. Definitely not."

Kayla sighed, shot down again. "You're gonna have to give in one day, Jobe. Why not make it easy on yourself and get it over with?"

"Cause you want my key!" he exclaimed.

"W-what? Key? Is that supposed to be..." she said, unsure what he meant.

"No, it's something you mom told me. She said once I give you the key to my body, I'll never get it back. Or something like that..."

She nodded slowly. "Oh... that's just something moms do to try to scare you out of doing something. You know... oh wait, you don't know..."

"Yeah, I don't. I never will..." he sighed.

An idea then popped into Kayla's mind, one that could go either way, good or bad. "Hang on a sec..." she said, dashing out of her room, into the one her parents normally sleep in. She dug around in her mom's jewelry chest, until she found what she was looking for, then went back into her room, where Jobe was waiting, puzzled.

"Hold this..." she said, planting a ring in his palm. "Now get down on 1 knee... hold my hands, and say the magic words..." she said, barely able to contain her excitement.

He did as she said, unsure of what she was getting at. "Uhh... please?"

Kayla did a face palm. "No... take another guess... it's nothing like that."

"Uhm... magic words..." he thought for a second. "Wait a minute... no, I can't say that!"

"Yes you can... if you mean it, you can." she said.

He shook his head. "No, I can't. Do you know how much trouble I'd be in? You too..."

"I don't care anymore... just say it, please?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, it's too big of a risk. I don't want to-"

"Pleeeeeaaase?" she begged, putting on a puppy-dog face.

"Ohh... why is this so hard to say no to?"

"Because you want it to happen, just like me... so say it... that's all you have to do, and it'll be all over with." she said, starting to wonder if he really would say it.

He shook his head slowly. "No... I can't..."

"Saaaayy it... just saaay it..." Kayla could tell he was breaking.

It was taking all of Jobe's power to say no, and he realized that hers was stronger. If she kept this up much longer, he would crack. _I've got to get out of here... _he thought, but she wouldn't let go of his hands.

"You're not going to say it?" she asked him, and he shook his head. Kayla's smiled turned into a frown, and she started to fake-cry. Which girls just so happen to be very good at.

"No... no, Kayla, don't cry. I just... oh my gosh..." Jobe said, trying to think his way out of this. "Kayla, you've got to understand... I... ohh..." he said, and she started bawling.

"I... I thought you loved me..." she whimpered, really trying to lay it on him.

Jobe clenched his teeth. _This is going to be soooo bad..._

"Kayla? Will you stop crying?" he begged, but it only seemed to make it worse.

Jobe took a deep breath, and got back down on one knee, holding her hands. She noticed this, and peeked an eye out.

He swallowed hard. "Kayla Payton... will you marry me?"

**o-o-o**

**WHAT THE FUUUUUUU-**

**Right? Huh? Riiight?**

**Told ya it was gonna be surprising... I guess... I might be without internet for a whole two weeks soon, but I'll keep chipping away. **


	21. Sick and tired

**A/N: ****Song is "Rewind" by Pillar.**

**Ages 16+. A really dirty and dark chapter, but a much needed one. Explains a lot here, and actually is somewhat 'revolutionary.'**

**A nod to Poker Night at the Inventory, one of the cheapest games I have ever played.**

_{- BU-M -}____ 0.5_ dash.

**o-o-o**

"Will you... marry me?" was Jobe's shaky request.

Kayla tried to make it as dramatic as possible. "Ohh... yes, I will... I will." she said, tearing up for real this time, and hugging him tightly.

He had trouble standing up after all this was going through his head. "Whoa... I need to sit down..." he said, claiming a seat on her bed.

She couldn't help but giggle. "You know what you just did, right? You-"

"_**DAMMIT!" **_Kayla was interrupted by Matt yelling out. It sounded like he broke his arm or something.

"I'll be right back. Make sure to breathe..." she said, getting up and going downstairs.

Jobe was still a nervous wreck. He couldn't hold his arm out straight without looking like a man who had Parkinson's disease. _I need to... think about what just happened here..._

**o-o-o**

Way over in Unova, the Payton's had just gotten home. Kenny had already left for the plant, but Shannon had some stuff to take care of at the house.

She got onto the computer, after he had set it up for the video cameras. She opened the program, and a screen came up, showing each bedroom, all 16 with the exception of one: the master. The one that Shannon and her husband would've stayed in. _Darn... I KNEW this thing had a loophole._ She thought to herself. Besides that fact, though, the program was pretty nifty. It had full audio support, so she could hear what was going on inside the rooms. It also had the option to record what she saw, instead of live feed. Actually, it wasn't quite live, it had an hour delay, due to the time change between regions.

She watched it for a little bit, before getting bored and minimizing the window, going back to doing laundry.

**o-o-o**

Jobe was trying desperately to think about what he just did. _I hope she doesn't take this seriously... _He heard Kayla walking back upstairs. He trembled.

Before he could say anything, she ran up and jumped into his lap, giggling excitedly.

"I just have one thing to say: thank you." she said, cuddling into his chest.

"Thank you? What did I do?"

"You just made me the happiest person in the world. I will get to spend the rest of my life with the only person I want to." She was really laying it down.

Jobe swallowed hard. "Uhh... me too..."

She stopped. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, really. Just... don't take this on too fast, okay?"

"Too fast? What do you mean?" she questioned.

"Well for one thing, we're not married yet. Still boyfriend and girlfriend." he said.

Kayla bit her lip. "Ohh, no. We're more than that now. You're my _fiancé _now."

That word sent a chill like no other down Jobe's spine. He had no response to that.

She giggled. "Don't worry, nothing is really going to change. Yet."

"I still don't want anything to happen right now..." he mumbled.

"Alright, I can understand part of why you don't. Cause of the... consequences. Well, is there another reason why? Because the only thing that's stopping me now is you."

"I'm not really sure. I guess... I guess I don't want to feel that type of pain right now..." he said, looking down.

Kayla was puzzled. "Pain? What're you talking about? Wait... you think it hurts? Is that it?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I don't want to hurt either one of us. I'm kinda surprised you would want to."

Suddenly, Kayla just burst out laughing. Jobe didn't see what was so funny. She continued for a few more seconds, then calmed down. "I'm sorry, Jobe. That was just hilarious. You really think that? Oh boy... if only you were willing to do it now, I would prove you wrong so bad you'd be laughing."

"W-what? It... doesn't hurt?" He was astonished.

"Of course not! It's one of the best feelings in the world! There is nothing else like it. I don't know exactly what it feels like, but it's not hard to find out. Either ask Matt, daddy... no wait, don't ask dad. If you do, he might get the wrong idea. You can search it up on the internet, cause you're over 18 now." she said, winking.

He shook his head. "That's okay... I'll wait."

Kayla reacted to that a little weird. "Oh... how long?"

"I don't know. Not anytime soon, at least after we get married." he said, shivering.

"Tomorrow? Can we get married tomorrow?"

"What? Why so soon?" he asked.

She took a breath. "You don't understand this, but... you know how I haven't done it before? Well all my high school friends... did it before they graduated. Here I am, 2 years out, and I'm still... well, nevermind. After I found out about that, it drove me crazy, because mom and dad thinks it's wrong to do it before you're married. But all my friends were telling me all about it and stuff, and it was driving me up the wall. You know my old boyfriend? He almost forced me to do it. Almost. He was mean... I hope if I see him again, it'll be with you."

Jobe listened to what she was saying, but didn't fully understand it. "So... you were jealous? Well that's good that you listened to your parents like that. I'm... kinda surprised you did. But now, you're sick of it, even though you haven't seen your friends for a while. So you want to get married, and get it over with?"

"Eh... yes and no. That's not the only reason I want to get married, though. Remember what I said about that law? My parents couldn't -and can't- tell me what to do anymore. I'm finally just like you, now." she said, hugging him.

"Yeah, but can't they just kick you out, and not support you with money anymore? I know you don't want that."

"Even if they did, I wouldn't care, cause I've got you. You are the real reason I want to marry you, else it wouldn't be you. All the other stuff is just a bonus." she said.

Jobe sighed. "This is too confusing. I never should have listened to you. I cracked and let myself do this, now I'm stuck."

"No no, it's all good now. Stop being so negative by looking at the downside. Cheer up. It's not a dreadful thing. Cause now everything will be different. The way you and I will talk to each other, it's going to be different. But it'll be the good kind of different."

"Still makes no sense. Going way over my-"

Jobe was interrupted by Matt again, belting out a loud scream. Kayla sighed, then went over, closed and locked the door. "Don't worry about him, he's a clown. It's just you and me right now." she said, reclining back on her bed.

The way she laid down, gave Jobe a somewhat undesirable sight. He turned away, trying to keep his mind off of it. "Kayla... your dress is a little too short to be lying down like that."

"What is wrong with you? I tell you what: you have too much self-control. Let yourself have some fun once in a while. C'mere, let me show you something." she said, trying to lure him in.

"Nah, I'm good. I'm kinda getting hungry again, that pizza didn't go very far." he said, trying to find a reason to leave.

"You're not going anywhere." she said, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him back next to her. Then she moved on top of him. "See? You can't move. Why would you want to?"

He squirmed under her weight. "Kayla... don't..."

"So you hate this so much? Let's just see how much you 'hate' this..." she said, slowly grinding on him.

"Eh..." he groaned, feeling uncomfortable again.

She smiled seductively. "Ooohhh, Jobey likes this, doesn't he? Just scared to admit it, aren't you?" she said in a smooth voice, leaning over to kiss him.

Jobe almost didn't try to resist. He was mostly letting her do this for herself, not him. _Oh man... this isn't good, but... damn. It doesn't hurt like I thought it would... _Although it probably wouldn't take much to change his mind now.

She kept grinding him for a few more minutes, then she suddenly slowed down. _Finally, she's done. Wait a minute... _She moaned quietly.

"Kayla? Are you okay? You look like you're in pain." he asked.

Her eyes were closed, her breathing was heavy, and her teeth were clenched. "No... I'm... fine. I, ohh..." she said, gasping.

She remained that way for a good 20-25 seconds, then collapsed on top of him. "Oh... my... God... that... ugh..."

"Are you sure you're okay? You sound like you just ran a marathon or something."

She smiled weakly. "You... could say that... Oh no..." she said, looking down at his pants. "You might wanna... go change now... I'll meet you downstairs."

Jobe waiting for a few minutes, then shrugged, walking out of her room. "Shut the door behind you..." she said.

"JOBE! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!" Matt yelled from the first floor.

He sped down the stairs, expecting a fire or something. Matt was just lounging on the couch, relaxed as could be. "So what happened in there? C'mon, tell me. I'm clean."

"Umm... nothing happened. We just talked... that's it. As always." he said.

"So you still can't get it, then. But which one of you is saying no? It's gotta be you."

Jobe was starting to get tired of this. All the time, that's all the conversations were about. "Alright, I don't want to talk about this. I'm going up to change." he said, starting to walk upstairs.

"Fine, whatever... holy crap man, what'd you do, piss in your pants?" he said, pointing below belt.

"What?" Jobe said, glancing down. There was a wet spot right at his crotch, where she had been grinding him. "Oh, snap. I really gotta change now."

"You aren't potty trained, Jobe?" he said, laughing.

He grunted, heading upstairs to his room, and shutting the door. He ripped his pants off, and took a look. _What is this? _He said, putting his nose up to it and taking a whiff. He pulled back, it smelled slightly sour. _Eh... _before tossing the article of clothing onto the floor. He reached into his bag and pulled out some comfortable shorts, and put them on. But before heading out, he stopped for a second. _Wait a minute... _His underwear wasn't wet. _Whatever that was, it was hers... eww... _he thought, trying not to think about what that mysterious fluid could be.

He headed back downstairs, noting Matt was gone. He took his place on the couch, and felt it wasn't even warm.

Jobe sat and watched TV for a few minutes, then heard a door shut upstairs. He thought it was Kayla, but it was Matt, coming out of her room.

"Hey man... just found out what happened... lance, I tell you what..." he said, shaking his head.

"Wait a minute here... She was the one who did that. Not me, I had no intention of that happening, trust me." he said, hoping Matt wouldn't get mad.

Matt smiled. "Heh... why didn't you go all the way?"

"Uhh... what?"

"Man, if you can go that far, you may as well go the whole 9 yards... again, one of you stopped the other... who was it?" he questioned, sitting down across from him.

Jobe bit his lip. "I guess it was... her. She kinda, collapsed. Breathing real heavy and stuff. I mean, I didn't want it to continue at all anyway, but she was... I don't know." he shrugged.

"Whoa... snap... you got closer than I thought. I know you now. I don't quite see why you're restraining yourself... I mean, really, Jobe? You're a jerk for not doing her yet. Seriously. Times have changed, things are different. It's okay now."

"Okay, can I tell you the honest truth? I thought it hurt at first. Bad. Like hurt her more than me, which is why I couldn't think of why she would want to do it too. But then I must've mentioned it to her, and she laughed at me. So does it really hurt? Because I won't... and can't hurt her." he said, sighing.

Matt nodded. "I'll tell you the honest mumbo-jumbo too. Yeah, it's gonna hurt her, just because it's the first time. It'll go away after a little bit, and then hoo boy, it's a hell of a thing to experience." he said, smiling.

Jobe was somewhat relieved, but wasn't sure if it made him feel better. "See, then I don't want to. Forget it then."

"So let me get this straight: You're gonna put Kayla through more trouble with her trying to get you convinced, potentially breaking her heart when you say no, when you could walk up there now and do the job, and get the hard part over with. Tell me what makes sense here."

He thought for a second. "Why did you have to put it that way? Now it looks like there's no other choice."

"You tell me." he said.

"I guess... I guess it would be better for her to just get it over with, if she's that upset over it. But I still don't feel comfortable with it..." Jobe admitted.

"FINALLY! I got you to say this. She couldn't do it in the past 2 months, and it only took me 5 hours. Now listen: I want you to go out with her somewhere for dinner tomorrow night, cause you didn't get to earlier, thanks to me. And when you come back, you're gonna get lucky. Real lucky, trust me."

Jobe shook his head. "Nope. I won't, cause I know for 100% I am not doing anything till -and if- we get married."

"Pshaw! Forget all that crap. You're already engaged, close enough. Yeah, she told me that part. Don't worry about anything, I'll get you guys all set up."

"No, you don't understand. I'm not doing it." he said, crossing his arms.

"Alright. Don't go to dinner, go to a chapel. Get married. Then come back, and rock on." he said.

Jobe was taken aback by that one. "This soon? Aren't you supposed to wait a couple months?"

"Screw that. Go on, get upstairs and tell her." he said, gesturing to Kayla's room, which was still closed. "Well? Man, take a backbone, wouldjya? I mean, really..." Matt said, dashing up the stairs.

Jobe started to shake, realizing what he had just done. _Gotta be a way out of this... _He desperately tried to think of a way to work around this, but didn't look too bright right now.

He waited a few more minutes, then heard Matt come back down the stairs. "Aight... here's the plan... well, I already told you. She screamed a little, then started breaking out in tears. Happy tears, mind you. So you're all set, for tomorrow night." Jobe took a deep breath, and sighed. His fate was sealed.

**o-o-o**

"_Everytime I see your face, up in here, up in here..." a man sang, finishing up his work. He just had to clean up, and he was done for the day. Right as he started, there was a quite tap on the wall, from the outside, followed by an explosion. The man flew back, almost hitting one of the machines that was behind him. "Hey, what the?" he said, trying to see what had caused the boom. Amidst the smoke and fire, there was a floating figure, almost indescribable, that seemed to be the source._

**o-o-o**

Shannon had just finished cleaning up the plates from dinner, when she decided to take a look at the camera setup again. Nothing extravagant happened, until around 8 PM or so. It was in Kayla's room, when the couple walked in. She played it back in fast-forward, to go through several hours in a couple of minutes. Nothing seemed different, until Kayla laid back on her bed, and pulled Jobe down with her. Mrs. Payton paused it, and turned the volume up a bit, then played it back at regular speed.

"_You're not going anywhere." Kayla said, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him back next to her. Then she moved on top of him. "See? You can't move. Why would you want to?"_

_Jobe squirmed under her weight. "Kayla... don't..."_

"_So you hate this so much? Let's just see how much you 'hate' this..." she said, slowly grinding on him. _Shannon's jaw dropped.

"_Eh..." he groaned._

_She smiled seductively. "Ooohhh, Jobey likes this, doesn't he? Just scared to admit it, aren't you?" she said in a smooth voice, leaning over to kiss him._

_It didn't look like Jobe was doing much to try to resist. His face showed mixed emotions: it almost looked like he was in pain, yet in pleasure at the same time._

_She kept grinding him for a few more minutes, then she suddenly slowed down, moaning quietly._

"_Kayla? Are you okay? You look like you're in pain." he asked._

_Her eyes were closed, her breathing was heavy, and her teeth were clenched. "No... I'm... fine. I, ohh..." she said, gasping._

_She remained that way for a good 20-25 seconds, then collapsed on top of him. "Oh... my... God... that... ugh..."_

"_Are you sure you're okay? You sound like you just ran a marathon or something."_

_She smiled weakly. "You... could say that... Oh no..." she whispered. "You might wanna... go change now... I'll meet you downstairs." _ Mrs. Payton gasped.

_Jobe waited for a few minutes, then shrugged, walking out of her room. "Shut the door behind you..." she said._

She couldn't believe what had just happened. _What? She just... no. This has got to be a trick..._

**o-o-o**

Kayla never came back down that night. He and Matt stayed up, watching stupid people fall down off of roofs and removing their chance of another generation behind them. After a while, Jobe went on up to bed, but Matt stayed up, until who knows when.

In Jobe's room, he had just changed and gotten into his bed, when he heard his door slowly open. He kept his eyes closed, to pretend he was asleep. As if he couldn't tell who it was anyway.

He heard her slide into his bed, and creep up right next to him. "Psst... Jobe? You awake?" Kayla whispered, nudging his arm.

"Yes. What're you doing here?"

"Aren't you more worried about other stuff right now?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "Not really. You feel better?"

"Much better. Do you? I'm sure listening to Matt rattle you off like that didn't make you feel too good." she said.

"Eh... he's okay. So... um... you told him all that?"

Kayla nodded. "He came in there saying he just found out something secret about you that I didn't know, but he would only tell me if I told him what happened. So I did, and it turns out you love Shuca berries..."

"Uhh... how did he know that? Eh, nevermind. I wish you hadn't told him..." he said.

"Oh, come on. You can trust him. Soo... you tell me: what did he ask you about? She said, trying to act like it was a casual question.

Jobe sighed. "Do we have to talk about this stuff all the time? It seems that that's all that matters right now. Well, I guess it is somewhat important, but it's not as much as enjoying our time here. Partially alone."

"I don't know... probably not. I'm sorry, I'll stop talking about it..." she said, looking down. "You're right, we should just be enjoying the time that we do have here. I'm not sure when we'll have to go back home, mom is supposed to call us. But anyway... so are we going to go eat dinner tomorrow night? Cause we didn't get to last night."

"Well..." he swallowed hard. "Uhh... yeah..."

She smiled. "He told me that too. We'll get dinner after the main event."

Jobe sighed, then turned on his side, facing the wall. As he started to think about it, he really wasn't looking forward to tomorrow, a first for him.

Kayla looked at him for a second, then shook his arm. "You going to sleep?"

"Nothing else to do. Middle of the night, tired, yeah I'm going to sleep. At least I'm going to try." he said, not moving at all.

"Ohh, there's... nevermind. What do you mean, try? Nervous about tomorrow?" she said, poking him in the back.

He was in a bad mood now. "Stop it. No I'm not nervous, I just feel like I'm being pushed around right now, and I don't like it."

"Pushed around? Oh, because of Matt?" Jobe nodded. "You know it's just you and me. He doesn't have anything to do with this. We can kick him out if you want to, he's used to it."

"No, you wanted him to stay. And yes, this whole fiasco is sorta his fault."

"Mmmm... not quite, honey. If you _really _didn't want this to happen, you would have said or done something. He is not forcing you to do anything... I am." she said, giggling. "No, just kidding. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, even if it's for me or whatever. Don't do something you don't want to just for me."

He shook his head. "I... ugh..." he said, before pulling the covers over his head.

Kayla quickly ducked under too, and put her hands on his back. "No no... fine, we won't do anything tomorrow... okay? Just forget about everything, and hold me..." she whispered in his ear.

"No, if you really want to do this, and I guess I do too, then let's just roll with it. C'mere..." he said, turning around and pulling her into an embrace.

She laid there for a minute, feeling secure in his arms. "Hey wait... will you let me try something?"

"What is it?"

"I was looking up stuff online, and I saw some tricks on how to turn a guy on... and, I wanted to see if they'd work. Cause if I did it on Matt, that would just be creepy..."

Jobe couldn't help but chuckle. "Eh, fine, but don't be surprised if I fall asleep while you're doing... whatever. And don't get carried away."

"I can wait a whole 24 hours now. And trust me... you won't fall asleep. You might just stay up all night." she said, sitting up in the bed. She removed the covers from both of them, and moved over to sit on top of him again. "No it's not what I did earlier..." she said, laying down on him, face-to-face.

Jobe closed his eyes, and felt her lips caress his. "Is it working?" she whispered.

"Not sure what I'm supposed to be feeling here..." he said.

Kayla sighed, then put her head behind his head, lifting it up closer to her. "Tell me what this feels like..." she said, slowly sliding her hand up and down the back of his head.

"It... tickles..." he said, a chill going down his spine. The feeling was strange, Jobe no longer felt like he was in the beach house, instead like a spa, being massaged through his whole body.

Only when he heard a voice, did he come back to reality. "Tickles? I saw you shiver. Okay, how about this?" she said, stopping. "No, I'm not gonna do that right now... nevermind. Sorry." followed by her laying down next to him.

"What was it? I was kinda... wanting to know what you were gonna do..." he said, much to her surprise.

"Wait a minute... you... want to know? You want me to do it to you?" she asked in disbelief.

Jobe bit his lip. "Well, nah, nevermind it. Forget I said that. Let's just go to sleep, I'm tired." he said, turning to face her.

"Ahh... well, okay... me too." she said, holding her arms out. Jobe took her offer and pulled her in close.

"I love you." he whispered in her ear.

"I know you do." she said back, giving him a kiss that lasted until the morning.

**o-o-o**

It wasn't until 11 AM that the couple woke up, and that was to Matt, screaming his head off again.

Kayla groaned. "Morning Jobe..."

"Ehh..." he said, rubbing his eyes. "I guess it's a good one. Why did we sleep so late?"

"Couldn't tell you. But I do know that this bed feels different than when I fell asleep..." she said, throwing the covers off, to reveal that the two had less clothes on than they slept with.

"Oh my God..." she said, after looking at Jobe.

He shrieked, and snatched the covers back over him. "How... why did you do this?" he said, starting to sweat, because she didn't have anything on right now.

"I didn't do this! I was sleeping the whole time, just like you... or was it you who did it?" she said, crossing her arms.

He closed his eyes. "Good guess, but no. I know who did it. Your jerk of a brother."

"No, I don't think so. He may be a, 'matchmaker', but he wouldn't go that far. Maybe we just... I don't know what happened." she said, shrugging.

"Can you put something on so I can open my eyes?"

She didn't say anything, instead giving him a big, naked hug. "I love you..." she said playfully.

Jobe just grunted, and put the covers over his head. He opened his eyes, and saw a piece of paper sitting right under where he was sleeping. It read:

_Jobe and Kayla,_

_I am back, and watching you._

There was only 1 person... or Pokemon... who could have left, and wanted to watch them.

"Darkrai..." Jobe said it like a curse.

"What was that?" Kayla asked him.

"Darkrai, he left a note here. And... I bet somehow, he did this. I'm gonna tell you now: next time I see him, he's dead. I'm sick of him messing stuff up here. I'm gonna kill him." he said, with gritted teeth.

She snuck under the blankets next to him, still undressed. He didn't bother closing his eyes this time. "Why don't you just give him what he wants, maybe he'd leave us alone. Or see if you can ask Wellstep if he's heard anything, you haven't talked to him in a while."

"Because I don't know what he wants, and I don't know how to get in touch with Wellstep."

"I'm not sure what to tell you anymore other than let's just ride this storm out. Or, you can let me ride you..." she said, poking him.

He shot a glare at her. "That was gross. And would you put some clothes on please?"

"Fine... she said, getting off the bed, looking around for her tank top and shorts. "I can't find them, help me look." she said, tugging the blanket off of his head.

"They're right... oh. Where are mine, too?" he said, glancing around the room.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Hey y'all? Anyone in there?" Matt said, on the other side.

Quicking thinkly, Jobe put a finger to Kayla's mouth. "Uhh, yeah, who's there?" he asked carefully. Thankfully the door was locked.

"Well I'm sorry to say this, but I think Kayla went streaking. Here's her sleeping clothes right here. Yours too. You change already?"

"Uhh... yeah. I just took a shower, and tossed my clothes out the door. Lay em right by, I'll get them in a minute." he said.

Matt paused. "Okay, then. They're there. I'll um... see ya in a little bit."

Jobe waited a minute, then slowly opened the door to see if he was still there. He quickly snatched the garments up, and shut the door.

"Aight, here's... wait a minute, yours aren't here. He only left mine. Damn it, he's probably going to your room now, checking on you. We're screwed..." he said, putting his clothes back on.

"No... don't... oh, forget it. Give me something of yours to wear." she said, digging in his still unpacked suitcase.

"Everything will probably be too big. And burn it when you're done." Jobe said, rolling his eyes.

Kayla found his swimshirt, and tried to out it on, but it was a little tight. "How come this fits you just fine, but I can't wear it?"

"Uhm... your bigger in the... torso area." he said, biting his lip.

She blushed. "Oh yeah..." before finally managing to slide it on, even though it was skintight.

"Just get dressed and leave, so I don't have a panic attack." he said, laying facefirst back down on his bed.

"I don't want to leave, though. I like being with you." she said, putting on his swimshorts, and sitting down on his bed next to him.

He shook his head. "No. Out. Go put some of your clothes on." he said, trying to point to the door.

"Hmph. Fine. I'm going to take a nap, if you want to join me. I can't eat right now." she said, walking out of his room.

_Dammit dammit dammit... _he thought to himself. _Why does she have to do that?_

A few minutes later, Matt walked in, knocking on his open door.

"Did you get lucky last night?" he asked excitedly.

"Lucky? Of course not. Just fell asleep, that's all."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Don't lie to me. Y'all stripped and slept Au-natural last night, didn't you?"

"No! That's how we woke up, but that's not how we fell asleep." Jobe defended.

"Buddy, it's okay. I don't mind you sleeping with my sister. But don't lie to me saying you didn't, when I know you did."

Jobe paused. "Okay, I did. But I know that's not how we fell asleep. I don't roll that way."

Matt chuckled. "Yet. Let's see... after tonight, you wouldn't want it any other way. Whatever." he said, starting to turn away.

"Wait! How did you know?"

"Cause I'm smart. I saw Kayla sneak into your room last night, I found y'alls clothes this morning, and I saw her going from your room to hers in your shirt and shorts. So guess who spent the night in Jobey's bed last night?" he said, sticking his tongue out. Jobe just grunted. "Hey wait a minute, you like it when she does, don't you? Alright, look. Let's talk here for a minute..." he said, sitting back down on his bed. Jobe groaned, knowing this was that 'talk' he wanted to have.

"You can only answer these question with a yes or no answer, no reasons why or butts allowed." Matt cleared his throat. "You like, or love Kayla?"

"Yes." was Jobe's slow reply.

He nodded. "Okay, do you like it when she kisses you and stuff?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, did you like it when she was grinding on you?"

This was hard for Jobe to answer. Part of him said to answer yes, but part said no. "Uhh... yes?" he said cautiously.

"Right. How about last night? Did you like it when you woke up to her boobs?" Matt asked him.

"What? What kind of question is that?"

He waved his hand. "Just answer."

Jobe shook his head. "No. And how did you know that?"

"No? Okay, then... Why not?"

Jobe thought for a second. "Cause I just don't like it when stuff like that happens. I don't have anything to say whether I want it to happen or not, I feel like I have no control. How did you find that out?"

"Reasonable answer. But I gotta tell you something: You're not normal. Seriously now, ANY guy right now, living or dead, married or unmarried, would trade his life to have what you have. Dude, you seriously need to rethink this. You haven't seen many other girls, have you?" Matt asked him.

"Not really, none my age. You still haven't answered my question."

Matt nodded. "Then you don't know what pure beauty looks like, even though it just slept in your bed last night. There's a such thing, even though it's as rare as a Mew, there's a such thing as a perfect girl. Let me tell you something: you've got a Mew. There is not a thing wrong with that girl across the hall, trust me. Anything you might think that's wrong with her, is you. Hey, wait... I just got an idea. We'll count yesterday as your day. Today, I want you to do anything Kayla wants, and I mean anything. You'll make her happier than heck if you would. You have had control over her for the past 2 months, even if it didn't seem like it. Let her take the wheel for once. Tomorrow, if you still want to, we'll let her do the same, do whatever you want to. Deal?"

Jobe sighed. "I don't like this, but I guess so..." he said, shaking Matt's open hand.

"Good. Now go in her room and tell her all that crap. I have to go set up a room..." he said, smiling and walking out.

Jobe groaned, now realizing what pickle he had gotten himself into. Suddenly Matt's head poked back in. "Jobe! I almost forgot. No matter what, rule no.1 is, you have to enjoy it, even if it's doing laundry. You can't say anything that would make her change her mind, and this goes for her too." he said, before trampling down the stairs.

He got up off of his bed, and walked down the hall, to Kayla's bedroom door, and knocked on the door.

**o-o-o**

**Yeah, it's done. Actually didn't turn out as dark as I thought, (or wanted it to be) and that's for undisclosed reasons. As for Darkrai, he IS back, just a matter of time for when he pops in. So... can anyone see what I'm leading up to? Huh? Huuh?**

**Yes, I apologize for this story not containing more Pokemon, fights, or Luger pistols, but I said at the very beginning that Pokemon came after I thought up the main story. So it's taking a back seat while the plot continues. But it will kick back in, after... well, nevermind. ;-)**


	22. This is curious

**A/N: Song is "Earth Invasion" by Skillet. Never thought I would use that one. Later on here, you HAVE to listen to it. It is a Class 3 Felony if you don't.**

**Ages 16+. Basically the same thing as the last one.**

**Don't need that meter here anymore, do we? Cause of... well, yeah...**

**HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE! INPUT FROM THE OLD CLASSIC!**

**o-o-o**

Right as he knocked on the door, there was a bump and a yelp. "Ouch... hang on a sec... who is it?" was Kayla's reply.

"Me, Jobe. You don't have to-" he was cut off as she opened the door, and pulled him into the dark room. "I can't even see in here. Why is it so dark, cut the light on." he said, trying to feel around the room.

"I don't want the light on right now, I'm trying to sleep, remember? So you came to join me?" she asked excitedly.

He shook his head, but she couldn't see it. "Not today. I just, uhm... talked to Matt, and he wants me to... do whatever you want." he said quietly.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"He wants me... I mean, I want to do whatever you do today. I'll even do... laundry if you want me to." he said, starting to choke up.

"No. I would never make you do that... so... anything? I'm just trying to understand what is going on here..."

He swallowed hard. "Mmhmm..."

"Hmm... well, I don't want to take advantage of this. C'mon, let's go take a nap." she said, leading him to her bed.

"Well, okay, but I'm not tired."

With the little light that shone on her face from through the curtains, he could see she was baring an alluring smile. "Neither am I. Who says we're gonna sleep?"

"Then why don't we just go downstairs?"

"Because I want to be alone with you. If I wanted to see Matt, don't you think I would have by now? Just shut up and enjoy this." she said. Jobe heard the bed squeal, and deduced that she must've just laid down on it. "Are you coming?"

He sighed, then blindly found his way to the other side of the bed. Kayla grabbed his arm, and pulled him close enough to whisper in his ear.

"Soo... anything I want?" she asked quietly.

Jobe knew that this was coming. "Today is your day... whatever you want."

"Then let's go. You know where the nearest chapel is? Come on, let's get married. Right now."

"Well... sure. But um... well, nevermind." he said, thinking about something.

"What is it? You're supposed to tell me everything now." she said, poking him.

He bit his lip. "I was just gonna say, that I have no idea how the process works and all that crap, but why do we have to go there? I mean, what do you have to do?"

She thought for a second. "Well, obviously I wasn't at my parent's wedding, but I have been to a couple of em. Really all that goes on for you, is you stand there, recite the words that the old person tells you to, stick the ring on my finger, and kiss me. Then it's done. You party for a little bit, then leave and go do whatever. But for the bride..." she smiled slightly. "It's different. Your wedding day is the second most important thing that will ever happen to a girl. First is having a child, and third is... well, what we're gonna do after the wedding. At least, that's for me..." she said, trying to drop a hint to him.

"Wait... so I have to listen to some old guy tell me words and I have to repeat them?"

Kayla giggled. "Yes... it's not as funny as you think. You'd probably cry more than my mom would..."

"Yeah... your mom..." he said, getting a feeling of dread all of a sudden.

"Don't worry about them. I'm not, and they're _my _parents. I really don't think they will care that much..."

**o-o-o**

"Kenny! Do you understand what she did to him?" Shannon was hysterical over the security video.

He was trying to remain calm and collected, but she was messing that up. "Yes, I do. And you did the same thing to me, the first day I went to your house. That was the second hottest thing you did to me, other than the real thing. 'Cept you didn't... uhh... climax like she did. At least, not all over my pants like that. And you've got admit, Kayla knew exactly how to do that, and she did it right. I'm rather surprised he didn't try anything. I have been impressed with Jobe lately, he hasn't done anything I wouldn't when I was a teenager."

She clicked on something on the computer screen. "See this? This is last night. In his room, and see who's there."

I took him a second, but Kenny recognized the shape of Kayla sleeping right next to him. He watched it for a second, then saw a shadowy figure enter the room, and navigate closer to the bed.

"Hey! What's that?" he said, as it carefully pulled the covers off of them.

"That's... I have no idea. But what is it doing?"

The shadow, having removed the blankets, then somehow stripped the couple of their clothes, without touching them, and tossed them down the stairs, neatly folded.

Mrs. Payton screamed. "They're... naked! Naked in the bed! I can't believe this... you don't think that was Matt, do you?"

"Nah. Matt couldn't stand to see him naked. I'm not sure who that was, but you know it wasn't either of them. What do they do next?"

She clicked on the screen again. "This happened at 1 AM. They shifted a little and hugged each other at 3, and they woke up at like 11 or so. Watch..."

She skipped the video forward, and it showed them waking up. "Well it seems to me that he has no interest in that at all, because I know that if I woke up to that nude in my bed, I would've cracked. If you ask me, he's doing a pretty dang good job of doing exactly what he said he's not going to do."

"Right." she said sarcastically. "He proposed to her last night. I heard her on the video saying she wanted to get married today. Guess what that means? In probably less than 8 hours, they'll be in that bed again, except doing something else. And you said that they weren't going to try anything while we aren't there. It looks like the me that Matt was a big help. Well, I know what I'm gonna do."

"What would that be?"

She closed the window on the computer. "I'm going over there to stop them. You should probably come with me, so I don't kill them."

Kenny shook his head. "No, I don't think you should. Sit down and think about this for a minute: We don't know exactly what is going on over there. We can't make judgment that quick without knowing everything. And, just because they said they wanted to get married today, doesn't mean it's gonna happen. Something may stop them, and I sorta hope something does happen. You need to learn that she can take care of herself. She knows what happens when you take certain actions, and what the consequences, -or rewards- may be. Jobe probably doesn't know all that stuff, but I'm sure she'll tell him before too long. But listen: No matter if it happens or not, what's going to change? What difference does it make? After seeing this, the only thing different from now and potentially in a couple hours is a ring on the finger. They've slept together naked, made out, everything."

She shook her head. "First, I can't do that as easy as you. You don't have the same connection I do to my own daughter. I know exactly what she's feeling right now, you don't. Second, you know what happens after marriage. You do realized that in about 9 months or so, you're gonna be a grandfather. Do you really want that right now?"

"It's not my choice to make. Not yours, either. That's between them and them alone. And what's so bad about being a grandparent?"

"Because she's only 18. I do not want my daughter to be a parent at 19, and frankly, I'm surprised you do too."

Kenny bit his lip. "You were a parent at 20. Not big of a difference... but you're not understanding what I'm saying: It doesn't matter what we think anymore. It doesn't matter what we say, she does not have to listen to us anymore. She is beginning the cycle into becoming a young woman, and learning from your mistakes is part of that. You need to understand that she can make her own decisions now. And you also need to be able to support her, no matter the decision. I fully support her in whatever she does, without regret. I wish she would think about this a little bit more, but if it's what she wants, trust me, Kayla'll get it."

"That may be true, she can make her own decisions and all that. It's just hard for me to think about this right now, and I guess I'm trying to slow it down, but I can't..." she said, her eyes starting to water.

"Our daughter is growing up. I would say to let her go, but that's too much for you right now. Look, I'm going to shut these cameras down. That way, whatever happens will happen, and we'll meet with it when they come back." he said, uninstalling the application.

She sighed, heading off to the kitchen. "If you say so, but don't expect me to be easy on her when she gets back."

**o-o-o**

Jobe stayed in her room for a little bit longer, then they both went downstairs.

Matt snickered. "So I see y'all are decent again?"

"Huh? What're you talking about?" Kayla asked, blushing.

"I know what y'all were doing up there. Trying to jump the shark, eh? Well I didn't set up that room for nothing." he said.

Jobe tried not to smile. "Yeah..."

"So how was it Jobey? Cause I know-"

All of a sudden, the power went out.

"Shoot! It's not even raining or anything. Did your parents forget to pay the bill, Kayla?" Matt said, jumping off the sofa.

"They're your parents too. And I hope they wouldn't forget. I don't know, maybe something just happened."

Jobe chuckled. "Uhh, something happened alright. I don't know what... where's the electricity box or whatever?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "No box. Everything's wireless power now. There's a receiver all the way upstairs, I'll go check it." He ran up the stairs.

"So... are we gonna go? Let's leave while he's up there." she whispered.

"No, not today. If we have to do it, can we just do it here? I don't really want to go anywhere today. My stomach's a little upset." he said, clutching his guts.

She pushed him down onto the couch. "Aww... you nervous?"

"I don't think so. Can we just skip it?"

She thought for a second. "Umm... sure. But we have to go out sometime to trick my brother. Let's go get lunch or something, and we'll buy 2 rings or something."

"Fine. Go get dressed." he said, heading up to his room.

"Hey Jobe, wait. I just thought of something... no, nevermind. I'll wait." she said, with a twinkle in her eye. "Oh dang... we can't go anywhere..."

They forgot there was no car at the house. "That's going to bug me. Now what do we do?" he asked.

"Well... I can get the rings from my mom's jewelry chest. Maybe... I hope Matt's been a rabbi for Halloween once..."

"Do we really need to go through all that? Cause wouldn't your mom and dad want to be at all that? Let's just hold out on that for now. We can do something formal when we go back to Unova, I guess." he suggested.

Kayla looked at him funny. "Did... did you just say that? Jobe, are you sick or something?"

"Uhh... no. I just don't see how we can do anything like that for right now. So we'll just have to wait." he said, sitting down on the couch.

"Ahh... well... hang on a sec." she said, running all the way up to the 3rd floor.

A few minutes later, Kayla came back down the stairs. She gave him a smile, then walked into her parent's bedroom.

A second later, "Are you coming?" he heard her voice from the room.

"Huh?" he said, getting up and following her in.

Suddenly, the door shut behind him, revealing a dim light, coming from several lit candles. The room smelled of roses and vanilla, something that clouded Jobe's mind up.

"You like vanilla?" Kayla said softly behind him.

He nodded slowly. "Mmmhmm... what's vanilla?"

She smiled. "I'm vanilla, if you look at it that way. Vanilla is a strong tasting... oh, you don't care..." she said, kissing him.

"This is wrong..." he said suddenly, almost ending the moment. Jobe turned away, heading back out the door.

She held her hand up, so he couldn't open it. "I don't think so. I've gotten you this close, we're going all the way this time. You're supposed to do whatever I want to today, remember? And you have to enjoy it, although I don't think that will be a problem... so, go and lay down on that bed. Go!" she said, shooing him away.

He reluctantly obeyed. "Do we have to do this right now? I just realized I'm hungry." he said, trying to make up an excuse.

"Here..." she said, handing him a box of chocolates that were sitting on the dresser. "Hurry up." as she got onto the bed with him.

Jobe started to sweat, as he slowly ate the dairy product. He only got to 2 before Kayla threw them across the floor. "That's enough." she said, laying down on top of him, smooching on his face.

**o-o-o**

_**One Pokemon...**_

_**One mission...**_

_**One plot to own the world...**_

Darkrai stood still as steel, hiding inside of the Payton's master bedroom's closet. That was all he had to do, was make sure they fell right into his plan.

_These humans are not very hard to deceive... I thought that they would have been much more resistive. _He thought to himself, hearing a door shut, followed by some voices. _They are here..._

Even though he was hidden in the closet, he could still hear vividly what they were saying. _It seems that the time has arrived. Finally that stubborn male was seduced by her. It took her long enough to figure out his weak points, although I saw those before I even met him. _He heard them get onto the bed, and that was enough of a distraction for him. Darkrai flew through the doors, and made himself reappear in front of the bed. However, the two were so engrossed in each others faces, that they didn't notice him.

"Ahem..."

**o-o-o**

So far, Kayla hadn't done anything different than a normal make-out session. _I thought she would've been all over me by now, I guess maybe she's trying to make sure I'm under her influence... and I kinda am. This is nice... _He thought to himself.

Kayla got off of his face, and hugged him tightly. Very tightly.

"Mmm..." she hummed. "You enjoying this yet? Cause the fun part hasn't even arrived yet..."

"Yeah... I guess so." he said.

She looked up at him. "What? You're not really enjoying this, are you? I can tell, you're bored."

"I'm not bored... just-"

Suddenly, there was a noise coming from behind them. It sounded like someone was clearing their throat. He tried to push Kayla off of him, but she wasn't moving.

"No... I'm not getting off of you. It's probably just Matt." she said, clutching on to him.

"Kayla, that's not Matt. It sounded like it was right in front of us. Hop up." he said, convincing her to move over.

Suddenly, the power came back on. It blinded them for a second, but the shape of the figure was undeniable.

Darkrai was standing in front of the bed, baring a smile. "Good to see you awake. Just checking into the Payton Hotel. You don't have to take my bags up, I will take care of it. My room is on the 4th floor, I presume?" he said, before floating through the ceiling.

"Uhm..." Jobe stuttered.

Kayla sat up, and crossed her arms. "Forget it. The moment is ruined now. Let's go eat lunch." she said, walking out the door.

"Well, okay." he said, following her.

**o-o**

She fixed them both sandviches, and ate them on the couch.

Kayla sighed. "We'll start over later tonight. You're not getting out of this, don't worry."

"Meh..." he said, laying his head back, and falling asleep.

**o-o-o**

Shannon was still upset over the video. Something about it wouldn't leave her mind. _I know... I'm gonna call and talk to her about it... _she thought, picking up the phone and dialing.

Kenny came down the stairs right then, and saw her on the phone. "You better not be calling Kayla. I told you to leave them alone for a while."

"I have to make sure she's okay. That's all I'm going to ask or say." Mrs. Payton paused. "Matt? This is your momma. Is Kayla nearby? I want to talk to her." There was another pause. "Kayla? Hey, it's your mom. How's stuff? Good? Nothing extravagant happened lately?" she said, seeing if her daughter was going to tell the truth or not. "He... you... what? You're... married to him? Now? Kayla, we told you not to do anything crazy like that. You shouldn't have... huh? You have to go? Wait! I'm not... finished yet." she said, as Kayla hung up on her.

Shannon shook her head. "It's worse than we thought... she married him! Had the whole dang ceremony and all that crap. Without us being there. She said Matt wasn't even there to witness it... I can't believe this."

"Well, let it go. Whatever she does is out of our control. It's all her choice right now, just like I told you earlier. Let it go." he said, massaging her shoulders. "Just let her go..."

**o-o-o**

Jobe had fallen asleep, and shortly after, the phone rang. Matt jumped up and answered it.

"Hallo? Would this happen to be one of the supermodels? This is your sexy friend Matthew!" he said, beaming. Kayla rolled her eyes. "Huh? Oh, hi mom. Yeah Kay's here... hang on... Kayla, here's the phone for you." he said, looking depressed.

"Hi mom... what's up? Yeah, it's pretty good over here. Except we don't have a car to go anywhere. I'll send Matt out to go pick up groceries later or something... No, nothing exciting really happened, except for, well... I got married today... yes, to Jobe, silly... I know mom, but it's kinda hard to explain... no, no one was there. Oh, I gotta go, he's waking up now. I'll call you later!" she said, hanging up the phone.

She ran over to Jobe, shaking him awake. "Hey, wake up you sleepy head. That was my mom on the phone. But you don't care, do you?"

His mind was still groggy from his short nap. "Wha? I guess so... whatever."

Kayla smiled and sat down on his lap. "Well... you won't have to wait much longer." she said, kissing him softly.

"Umm... yeah, not right now. Still tired..." he said, laying his head back.

"Wait a sec..." she said, getting off of him and sitting down next to him. "Lay your head in my lap, I'll give you a massage." He shrugged and did so. "Where do you want it? Or do I have to choose?" she asked him.

He closed his eyes. "Mmm... shoulders? Neck? I don't care."

"You really are tired, aren't you? After that little bit we did in there? You're not gonna last 10 minutes of the real stuff." she said, rubbing his neck. He groaned quietly.

**o-o-o {Pay attention at this part}**

_Let us see here..._

Dr. Wellstep thought to himself, flipping through a book, looking for a specific article. _A... B... C... D... ah, here we go._

Strangely, there was a bookmark right where the list of Pokemon under the letter D was. It had a picture of the same Pokemon he saw in his lab a while back. _What is this? _He thought, trying to decipher the image. It showed the Pokemon, then underneath a human baby, marked with the initials JP-SS. There were runes that depicted some sort of message, but they were compressed and hard to read.

"The... dark makes out with... bairn, underneath sheath of... gravel. Retreat, then force. Enslave... and overcome all who trespass... even with aptitude. If fail, kill the four..."

He wrote them down on a sheet of paper. These words were the best he could squeeze out of the unusual 'bookmark'. Without his lab, at least. Wellstep sat down, trying to think about what he just read off.

"The dark makes out with bairn underneath sheath of gravel. Retreat, then force. Enslave, and overcome all who trespass, even with aptitude. If fail, kill the four..." he said, thinking aloud.

"The dark makes out with the bairn underneath a sheath of gravel. First retreat, and then force... force what? Forceful, The Force, force out... full force..."

He wrote something down on the paper. "The dark makes out with the bairn underneath a sheath of gravel. Retreat first, and then full force out. Enslave and overcome all who trespass, even those with aptitude. If it fails, then kill the four..."

**o-o-o {You can stop paying attention now}**

**Alright Kids! Contest time! (sorta)**

**Can anyone tell me what that means? Take a guess when you review. I know exactly what it means, and you'll find out later. Write a review or drop me a message with what you think.**


	23. Yuck Feah

**A/N: Song is "Back in Black" by AC/DC, just because this is my first chapter since my hiatus.**

**Ages 16+. Yeah, we're getting slimy here.**

**And a paraphrased quote from TF2 in here.**

**o-o-o**

"You're not ready, are you?" Kayla asked him.

Jobe sighed. "Okay, look. Let's just wait until tomorrow. There's too much going on here today."

"Do you promise?"

"Promise? Why do I have to do that?" he asked.

"Cause I want to be sure that I'm gonna get it tomorrow. I've waited, and waited. You keep finding ways out of this, and I know that once you do it you'll love it. So that's why." she said, still massaging his neck.

He sighed again. "Fine... I promise."

She kissed him, then continued his rub down.

"Hey Jobe... c'mere for a sec." Matt said, beckoning him over. "Bring your cell phone, I'mma show you how to use it..."

**o-o**

Wellstep was stuck in this problem. He had deciphered the code to the best of his ability, but it was still vague.

_It seems that there is much to be explained here..._ "The dark makes out with the bairn underneath a sheath of gravel. Retreat first, and then full force out. Enslave and overcome all who trespass, even those with aptitude. If it fails, then kill the four..." he said to himself, reading the paper.

"It seems to me that 'The dark' it is referring to could be... this Pokemon. Make out is another word for kiss, and bairn is another for baby, or child. A sheath would be a protective cover, and gravel... a cover of stones? Hmm... that will require more thought..." he said, examining the the strange bookmark. "I need to know what this is for. Who it is supposed to belong to, and why it is here..."

**o-o**

After showing the technologically-deprived Jobe how to use his mobile phone, Matt was bored. He thought there would've been much more to do at their beach house, but apparently there wasn't. Luckily he was leaving the next day, so there wasn't that much more to bear.

He noticed Kayla massaging Jobe's neck on the opposite couch. "Girl, why don't you just go do him already?"

"Shh! Cause he doesn't want to right now." she said.

"Doesn't want to? He told you that you were to do anything you want to today, right? So go in that room and take control."

She shook her head. "I don't want to make him do something that he doesn't want to right now. Besides, I'd rather wait till tomorrow anyway."

"Oh... well, I'm not leaving till I know I'm gonna be an uncle." he said, as-a-matter-of-factly.

Kayla blushed. "Matt! Shut up!" she said, throwing a pillow at him.

Jobe jerked his eyes open. "Yeah, shut up. You know how much trouble you've gotten me into?"

"You'll love this trouble. Trust me."

"And look where that's gotten me so far. I don't think so." he said, lying back down.

Matt sighed. "Hey, you know if we got any bikes here? I gotta get out sometime before I leave."

"I have no idea. Check in the basement." she said, shrugging.

He grunted, then walked over to the door and opened it. He shivered, then started to walk downstairs.

Kayla ran over, and shut the door, locking it. Matt shrieked. "LET ME OUTTA HERE!" he said, banging his fists on the door.

"Why'd you do that?" Jobe asked her.

"Cause it's fun to prank people." she said, walking back over to him.

He thought for a second. "Wait... you're gonna prank me now, aren't you?"

"No... not yet." with a smile.

**o-o**

The only thing that they did for the rest of the day was get the rings from her mom's jewelry chest. Kayla picked the rings out, and Jobe's was almost too small.

"Do we have to have these things?" he said, trying to get adjusted to having a circle of gold on his finger.

"Cause when we go back, we need to have proof that we are married."

**o-o**

"HALP! GET ME THE CRAP OUTTA HERE!" Matt yelled, slamming his fists on the door.

"Fine. You're such a wimp." she said, unlocking the door. He ran out, sweating ounces.

"It's... it's a little hot in there..." he said, gasping.

She giggled, and so did Jobe. "Grow some balls." she said.

Jobe flinched. "Balls?"

Kayla bit her lip. "Umm... yeah. They're those... well... nevermind. It just means to suck it up."

"Oh..." he said, shuddering. "Well I'm hungry. Let's get pizza again."

"Fine, but I'm tired of delivery. There's a really good place about 5 miles away, but they don't deliver. Matt, would you go and get it?" she asked him.

"Wha-? No, you get it." he said, chest still heaving.

Jobe coughed. "I'll get it. Tell me what you want and I'll pick it up."

"Oh, thank you Jobe. You see Matt, he's a gentleman. Get us a large pepperoni, that should be good." she said, giving him a kiss.

"At least I've got balls." Matt groaned.

Kayla smirked, and kicked him in an undesirable spot. "You won't be able to use em." He keeled over in pain.

"I'm leaving now!" Jobe said, quickly shutting the door behind him, eager to get out of that situation.

**o-o**

Jobe eventually found his way to the pizza place, after wandering around for a little bit. It looked like a nice place to eat, until he got inside.

It was crammed with people, obviously a sign of good food. Or girls.

There was about 40-50 waitresses in that place. Hot waitresses. Each wearing the same t-shirt and short shorts. They weren't as good looking as Kayla was in his eyes, but Matt would have a heart-attack in this place.

He walked up to the counter. "My girlfriend ordered a pizza a little while ago? Payton was the last name." he said to the girl.

"Oh, you got a girlfriend? I don't." she said jokingly. "Payton? It's almost ready, maybe another 10 minutes. You can wait here if you want to." she said with a wink.

"Umm... sure."

She leaned on the counter a bit. "So... what's your name?"

No one had asked him for that before. "Umm..." he looked at the girl for a second. "Well... my name's Jobe." she looked strangely trustworthy, despite where she was working.

"Jobe? That's a nice name. Mine's Brandi. Nice to meet you... so... where do you live?" Brandi asked curiously.

"Uhm... well, nowhere. I'm sorta living with my girlfriend, but we keep moving around. It's hard to explain."

She looked at her watch. "We've got 7 minutes."

"I can't really tell you, I just met you. Sorry." Jobe replied.

"I understand. But I would like to get to know you better. Give me your cell phone." she said, accepting the wireless transcommunication device from his hand.

She punched in a few numbers. "Mine's in there now. Under Brandi Reignn. It's some weird name, I have no idea what the origin is. I'll put your number in mine, and you can call me anytime."

"Umm... not sure if Kayla would like that."

"Oh is that your girlfriend's name? That's pretty. I mean, I'm not picking you up or anything. Just want to be your friend..." she says, smiling. She looked back at the oven. "Your pizza's done. I'll get it for you."

Brandi went and boxed the pizza, then handed it to Jobe. "Come back anytime!" she said, watching him leave.

**o-o**

"Where is that stupid Jobe? I'm starving." Matt complained.

"He's not stupid! You are. And I'm sure he's on his way back." Kayla said, setting up plates.

Just then, there was a ring at the door.

Matt dashed up and answered it, snatching the pizza pie away from Jobe. "FOOD!" He dug into the pizza.

"Gimme that." Kayla said, taking it from her brother, and sitting down at the table. "Come over here and eat."

Jobe hopped over to the table. "Oh crap! I musta left my cell-phone there... I gotta go get it."

"Well, eat first. How'd you leave it there? Someone text or call you?"

"Uhh... I don't remember." he said, taking a bite.

Matt shook his head. "He probably lost it somewhere. Maybe he got mugged or something, or he gave it to a hobo." Kayla rolled her eyes.

After a quick dinner, Jobe set out to go get his phone back.

**o-o**

"Oh, hiya! Didn't expect to see you back so soon. What'cha need?" Brandi greeted him with a smile.

"I forgot to get my phone back from you." he said, holding his hand out.

She pulled it out from under the counter. "There ya go. I almost called you, but... it wouldn't have worked. Why don't you give me your home number, in case it happens again?"

"Yeah... I don't even know it, since it's not my house. Staying with my girlfriend, and we're probably leaving back for Unova in a few days. So we won't be here much longer." he said, stuffing the device in his pocket.

"Hmm... well, just come back by here before you leave then. I've got something for you."

He bit his lip. Jobe didn't want to just ignore her, but he also didn't want to get too close to whatever she was trying to do. "Umm... we'll see..." he said, walking out the door.

Brandi sighed. "What, you like him or something?" a young chef teased.

"Maybe... but he's attached. I need to find out where he's going and follow him."

"I thought he said he was going back to Unova? That's like really far away..." he said.

There was a twinkle in her eye. "You know my other job? My primary job? I'm a house-call doctor. I go to people's houses and treat them there... I slipped a number that looks like a Dr. Reignn... but he probably won't pay attention to it... until his girlfriend gets hurt."

**o-o-o**

The next day, Matt was gearing up to leave.

"Now y'all listen to me: don't forget that I set that room up for you two, don't let it go to waste. I want to know that it's gonna happen." he said, hefting his bags onto his shoulders and arms.

"Yes, we'll do it. Just get out, so we can start." Kayla said, waving and shutting the door.

"Right now?" Jobe asked, right as the door closed.

She smiled devilishly. "Well... maybe not right now. In a little bit..." she said, sitting down the sofa.

Just then, the phone rang. Jobe was closer, so he answered it.

"Hello?"

There was a gasp, then: "YOU BASTARD!"

He was taken back by that. "Uhhm... what? Who is this?"

"You son of a bitch! Get the fuck out of there now!" Then a click.

"Who was it?" Kayla asked.

Jobe was stuttering for words. "I... I have no idea. They just called me a bastard and son of a bitch, then told me to get the fuck out of this place... I couldn't recognize the voice, it was a female, but no idea who."

"Well... that's strange. Let me see if this phone has caller-ID... nope, it doesn't. Darn... well this is a private number. Unless it was Matt pranking, the only ones who know this number are my parents, and that friend that I lent the key to. I _know _my parents would never say anything like that, so maybe it was my old friend... I dunno. If they call back, see if you can get their number or something."

He shook his head. "I tried. They hung up after that. Doesn't matter." he said, sitting on the couch. "Now I'm depressed."

"Oh, come on... go take a bath or something."

"A bath? That was random." he said, eying her suspiciously.

"No... baths can be soothing. Go see if there's some of that therapeutic soap in the closet." she said, pointing upstairs.

Jobe shrugged. "Nah, I'm good. I don't even know what that stuff is..." he said, glancing around the room. "Hey wait... what's today?"

Kayla smiled, then said, "November 8th. Tomorrow's my birthday! I've been counting the days down."

"Have you? Hmm..."

"You don't have to get me anything... well, except for what we're supposed to do tomorrow. Actually, I just remembered something: I have to be 18 to do it legally. You can be however old you want, but I have to be older than 18. So we couldn't have had se..." she paused, remembering how some words made him shiver. "It wouldn't of worked out."

"Yeah, nice catch." he said sarcastically. "Well I still want to get you something... what do you want?"

She smiled sweetly. "Jobe, I don't need or want anything. I've got all that I ever could have wanted."

"I know... but I still want to get you something. Hmm..." Jobe got up, and walked into her room. "Don't follow me, I'm gonna try to get some ideas."

Kayla rolled her eyes, and smiled.

**o-o**

Kayla's room was very orderly: everything had a place, and it was where it belonged. _I'm not gonna find anything in here unless I tear some stuff up... _he said, starting with her closet. He only saw some dresses, and a couple pairs of her infamous tight jeans. _Nothing... _Sighing, Jobe wandered over to her personal bag, and started digging through it. There wasn't much in it, save for the papers from the original flight trip they had months ago, a Poke Ball containing Roark, and one of Jobe's old shirts. _That's where that went... _He thought, before tossing it back in the bag. He bit his lip, trying to think of something that would give him a clue. "Wait a minute..." he said, picking up the ball that held Roark. Jobe smiled, then exited her room and headed down the stairs.

"Fine anything you like?" she asked him playfully.

"Yes... no, I didn't... say, what's your favorite Pokemon?"

She thought for a second. "That's random... or is it? I guess it would Aggron or Scolipede..."

"Ahh... just wondering." he said with a smile.

**o-o**

The next few hours were spent hanging around and watching TV. As dinnertime came around, Jobe's stomach started to rumble.

"Let's get pizza again." he said.

"Whaat? We've had that like the past 3 days in a row. I'm tired of pizza." Kayla complained.

Jobe shrugged. "Yeah, so am I, but... it'll give me an excuse to go get you something. Cause I know what I'm getting you now."

"I told you, you don't have to get me anything. Fine, whatever. I'll call it in." she said, picking up the phone and dialing.

Jobe smiled, as he went over his plan. Last time he was in town, he noticed a Pokemon Day Care near the pizza place. Hopefully, they would have whatever Pokemon she was saying she liked. _After all, girls love small, cute Pokemon, right?_

**o-o**

Soon after she had ordered the pizza, Jobe left, and hurried over to the Day Care. He knocked on the door, and someone yelled "Come in!"

"Hey, I'm looking for 2 Pokemon... well, 1 of 'em, at least. Wondering if you had them for sale or something?" Jobe asked.

The older lady standing at the counter gasped, and slapped Jobe across the cheek. "How _dare _you speak of Pokemon in that manner! They are companions, not toys or pets! No, we don't _sell _Pokemon here, we raise them. And then we give them out to Trainers who we think will take good care of them."

"Oh... I see... well, can I see if you have 1 of these here?"

"I refuse to give one to you, obviously you do not possess the mindset that is needed to care for any Pokemon... even Cyrus himself had somewhat of a heart, more than you." she said, crossing her arms.

"Lady! It's not for me! It's for my girlfriend, for her birthday! She's plenty more gentle and stuff than I am, I guess. Just see if you have an Aggron or Scolipede here, I'm sure you do, they're common, right?" Jobe asked.

The lady looked at him for a second, then raised an eyebrow. "Aggron or Scolipede? What do you think we run here? You have no idea who those Pokemon are, do you?" she said, shaking her head. "Look them up in this..." handing a Pokedex to Jobe.

He navigated through the simple search menu for A-g-r-o-n...

"...Holy crap! 6 foot 11! Why would she want one that huge? Well, how big is Scolipede..." he said, typing in the name. "8 foot 2 inches! Damn! These things are huge! Oh wait, that's length... still, they're huge! That's taller than I am... And you don't have any of these here?"

"Of course not. You would have to go to a place that's about 30 miles from here, they should have them. Called The Pokemon Company... huge place, they buy and sell all sorts of Pokemon... I really wouldn't recommend going there, they have all the wrong intentions, but... your choice."

"Hmm... okay, well thanks anyway." he said, walking out the door.

Jobe stopped and thought for a second. _Is it really the right thing to do? Do they put the Pokemon through that much trouble? Pizza's probably not quite done yet... I'll go fly over there really quick, and see what it's all about._ He thought to himself. Making sure no one was watching, he willed his body to become lighter, and lighter- but to no effect. _What?_ he thought, astonished. Instead, he tried to make wings burst out his sides, but nothing happened. _What... how? What the heck is happening? Why isn't anything happening?_

Just then, his cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"_Jobe? It's Kayla. Where are you? You've been gone for like 30 minutes."_

"Well... I just found out I can't shift anymore, for some weird reason..."

There was a pause. _"What? Whaddaya mean? Can't shapeshift anymore? Did you forget how or something?"_

"No! I remember how... if that's possible. I just can't do it anymore. I tried."

"_Well... just bring the pizza back, and we'll get in touch with Wellstep when we get back to Unova. See ya in a bit." _She said, then a click.

Jobe sighed, then walked into the pizza place.

"Pickup for Payton." he said.

"You sure do order a lot of pizza here." Jobe groaned.

**o-o-o**

"I cannot crack this... yet I must." Wellstep said, still trying to figure out what the mysterious coded message meant.

"The dark makes out with the bairn underneath a sheath of gravel. Retreat first, and then full force out. Enslave and overcome all who trespass, even those with aptitude. If it fails, then kill the four..." he repeated to himself.

Suddenly, Doc got an idea. "I know who this was written by, and who for now. ZoRoark wrote this, so she could remember Darkrai's... plan?"

**o-o**

Jobe soon got back to the beach house, but didn't feel like eating.

"Dig in, you've got to be hungry. So you walked the whole way, to and back?" she said.

"Yeah... you think maybe I haven't done it often enough lately? Cause I haven't really done it since we were in Unova." he said, thinking.

Kayla shrugged. "Dunno. But I do know that you need to eat." she said, handing him a plate of pizza.

He shook his head. "I don't feel like eating. I feel sick. Really sick..." he said, getting up and heading upstairs to his room.

A few minutes later, Kayla knocked quietly on his door. "Jobe? You awake?"

She heard a muffled sound. "You feel okay?"

"No! I don't feel okay!" he yelled.

"Hey, I was just checking. No need to be snotty. You want me to stay up here or go back downstairs?"

He didn't respond at first. "Sorry... I guess I'm just mad that I lost the only thing that made me interesting..."

"Interesting? Jobe, are you crazy? That's not what makes you interesting, just different. I still love you, no matter what." she said, giving him a kiss. "Do you want me to stay?"

"No, I'll come back down. I still don't feel like eating though..."

"Well..." she said, thinking. "You want to leave today? We can go see Dr. Wellstep quicker."

Jobe shook his head. "No, you wanted to do something tomorrow before we left. We're leaving the next day, so no, it's okay. And besides, I have to get you a birthday present. I'll be fine." he said, heading back down the stairs with her.

"We can skip it, it's not that big of a deal now. To tell you the truth, I was still in one of those... modes that I had earlier. It's gone now, though. Really, we can go back." she said, rubbing his back.

"No, it's okay. We'll stay, I'm still not done here."

"If you insist. So... what'd you want to get me for my birthday?" she asked curiously.

Jobe raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you didn't want anything?"

"Did you get me an Aggron?"

"What? No, I can't find one. I didn't get anything yet. Besides, I just thought of something: I don't have any money." he said, sighing.

"I told you, you didn't have to get me anything. And now you can't anyway, so it doesn't matter. I appreciate the thought, that's enough for me. Well, actually I know what I want for my birthday..."

He waited for an answer. "Are you gonna tell me?"

Kayla smiled, then shook her head. "No, not yet. I'll let you know when we-"

_Riiiiiing._

The phone rang. She jumped up and answered it.

"Mom? Hi! How's it going? ... W-what? We can't? Why not? … Huh? Who's... Dad? What was Mom saying? … Well, okay, but what did she say? … Oh... why? Yes, we're fine. No, not yet. You... want me to? Now? But, no! Not without... *sigh* Well, if you say so... bye, Dad. See you later." she said, slowly hanging the phone up.

"What was all that?" he asked.

Kayla shrugged. "I really have no idea... Mom called first, saying something about we couldn't come home. Then Dad got on, and he said we could. Then he said... he said he wants us to come home tonight anyway." she said, sitting down next to Jobe.

"Umm... why?"

"He didn't say. But I think I know who called you... all those names earlier. I think that was my Mom... I'm sorry, Jobe..." she said, starting to tear up.

He bit his lip. "What for?"

Kayla started bawling now. "I'm so sorry! This whole thing has turned into a mess! And it's all my parents fault... I knew I shouldn't have listened to them about all this..." she said, between sobs.

"Calm down, calm down. It's okay..." he said, letting her cry into his shoulder. "It's okay, it'll be alright..." although he wasn't so sure about that.

"No, it's not okay. I'm tired of this crap! It's going to be so much easier if they're out of my life..."

"Whoa whoa whoa... no, that's not happening. You can't just ignore them like that."

"I'm not going to ignore them... I'm going to..." she said.

Jobe's jaw dropped by what he thought she was going to say. "No... no no no... I won't let you. That's not going to happen. There's another way out of this. I can't believe you would even consider that. Come on..." he said, sitting her up. "Shake out of it. Grow some balls, man up, whatever- face this problem head on."

She sniffled, then giggled a little bit. "You're right... how could I even just think about that? I'm just so confused... I have to choose between you or them, and it's just really hard..."

"Why do you have to choose? You should be able to get along just fine with both of us... oh wait... I see now. The problem isn't you or your parents... it's me."

"No it's not... trust me, it's them, not you. They've been like this all my life, and I'm just sick and tired of it. 18 years is enough. So now I don't even HAVE to listen to them, but..." she trailed off.

"Conscience. Your conscience is telling you to listen to them. But you don't want to, because you fear that if you do listen to them, I'll leave you."

She paused, surprised by his random profound statement. "Umm... close, yeah..."

Jobe shook his head. "You should know... I'll never leave you. I don't know how you could think I would... but let's just forget this. I still want to get you that Pokemon, Agorn."

"Aggron. I appreciate it, but I don't think you can. I think it's illegal to own a Pokemon of that size without one of them licenses."

"Then let's go get them." he said.

"Yeah, but... we have to be back in Unova... and the government right now is screwy, so I'm not sure if that'd be such a good idea." she said, thinking.

Jobe sighed, then picked up a slice of pizza. "Whatever... when are we going back home?"

"Well... that was what I was going to ask you. Do you think it would be a good idea to go back? Apparently my mom is miffed about something... Dad said everything was fine, but I know it's not..." she said with a frown.

"Then we have to go back, so it can be fixed. Whatever it is, she's mad about. Probably something I did."

Kayla stopped him. "No... I know what it is. I told her a couple days ago that I married you? Remember? Well... I think maybe she's mad about that, since I really didn't ask or tell her beforehand..."

**o-o-o**

_This is ridiculous. _Darkrai thought to himself, and he watched the two hatchlings debate below. He looked up, and his gaze shifted around the house. It really was a nice place, but something like this meant nothing to him. He closed his eyes, and hummed quietly. _I know..._ before heading outside to enact yet another sub-plan.

**o-o-o**

Ever since her daughter delivered that news, everything at the Payton household had gone to crap. Dishes laying all over the kitchen table and floor, the living room was a mess, and Shannon hadn't taken a shower in a week.

Everyday, Kenny would come home to this, and wonder why Kayla had the nerve to upset her mother that easy. He sighed, as he checked the clock.

"Only 8 hours left, and they'll be back..." he said, sipping his coffee.

Shannon only sighed in response, stroking her hands through her frazzled hair.

He shook his head, thinking about how this might be handled when they did get back... if they got back.

**o-o-o**

Darkrai shuffled through the night, eventually making his way to the The Pokemon Company. He almost entered the place of seemingly snooty business, but stopped when he remembered what they might try to do when they saw a Legendary Pokemon in their own building. _Shame that is all they can do, is try._

He opened the door, and floated over to the front counter, and knocked out both counter persons with a quick shadow ball. He gained access into the computer system, and checked their inventory.

_Aggron: 3 males and 2 females in stock. Scolipede: 1 male and 369 females in stock... hmm... _He adjusted the inventory for 2 males and 2 females, then took off to the stockroom.

He revealed 2 types of Poke Balls from his cloak. _Disgusting spheres... _He thought to himself, as Darkrai searched the room for Pokemon under the name A. Eventually he found the Aggrons, and visually separated the males from the females, then shot a small ball of shadow at one of the males. He threw one of the balls at it, and it clicked, denoting a capture.

Darkrai swooped inside the room, quickly snagged the ball, then left as soon as he got there.

**o-o-o**

A little while later, it was nearing nighttime. Jobe was sitting watching TV, while Kayla was upstairs doing... something.

"Kayla? What're you doing up there again?"

"Coming down." she said, descending down the stairs. "Umm... I know we have to leave tonight, but can we leave now? Like in an hour?"

He was surprised that he was hearing this from her. Earlier she said she didn't want to leave at all. "Uhh, I guess so. It doesn't matter to me, really. Why did you change your mind?"

She sat down next to him. "Well I was thinking about it, and... we need to get back home and do one of two things: either patch the whole thing up and move on, or forget about my parents and move on... I'd rather do the first, but I don't think it's going to happen unless you talk to them... and the sooner the better."

"Oh... well, yeah, I guess so." he rolled his eyes, not really understanding what she just said.

"Then you better start packing soon. I'm almost finished." she said, leading him up the stairs.

Jobe nodded, then headed up the stairs.

**o-o**

_Six hours later..._

**o-o**

Mr. Payton, Kayla's dad, came and picked them up from the airport. He seemed happy to see them back, something Jobe felt relief for. He was just dreading how her mom was going to react.

Shortly thereafter, the trio arrived a the house. Jobe peered out of his window, and his stomach hit the floor. He swallowed hard, trying to keep his lunch down.

Kayla saw this and squeezed his shoulder, then whispered, "It'll be okay... just act like nothing happened, since, well, nothing did. We're still not married."

"We're not?"

"No, of course not. Haven't you been to a wedding before? Oh wait, I guess not... well, there's a big ceremony, then a huge dinner... it's the kind of event that doesn't go uncelebrated. We're still boyfriend and girlfriend." she said, smooching him on the cheek.

"But I thought we were finances?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

She giggled. "Fiancées, and no... it wasn't a genuine proposal. Nothing happened."

With that, Jobe opened his door and stepped out, glad to be stepping on grass and not sand or pavement.

**o-o**

Kenny overheard them talking as he got their bags out of the back. He decided to go ahead and take them in, and let his wife know that everything she thought had gone wrong, hadn't.

"Shannon... c'mere for a second..." he whispered, pulling her aside after he got in the house. "I heard them talking, and they said that they didn't get married, engaged, or anything. She said that they hadn't even done it yet."

"Yeah right. Sounds like she was telling you that, not overheard." His wife said, not believing it, but wanting to.

"She was reassuring him that it would okay, I guess he's nervous about seeing us again. You better act normal, or you know that it'll ruin it for her." he said, going back to the front door.

Shannon sighed, then slowly followed him.

**o-o**

Kayla was literally pulling Jobe up to the front door. He could barely feel his legs anyway. _Why am I so freakin' nervous? It's not like I haven't been in worse before... _

"Why are you so freakin' nervous, Jobe? It's not gonna be that bad, you've been through worse anyway." she whispered.

Jobe loosened up a little bit. "I know, I know..."

The front door opened...

Sierra and Nick dashed out, hugging their older sister. Sierra came over and hugged Jobe, but Nick didn't. He ran back inside, completely ignoring him. Dante started howling like he had been shot.

"Good to be back..."

**o-o-o**

After all the hellos and hugs were exchanged, dinner was almost ready. She had fixed spaghetti, which Jobe remembered was some of the best spaghetti he had ever... had.

Kayla brought Jobe and the bags up so they could unpack.

She had a giddy smile. "Guess what?" she said, tossing all the dirty clothes into a hamper.

"Ummm... what?"

"Mom and dad said it was okay now... that you could sleep with me."

At first he didn't know what she was talking about. "Elaborate?"

"Big word. They said that since we were alone all that time anyway, you could sleep up here with me. Or I could go downstairs, but it'd be a little bit less private that way..." Kayla said, not even attempting to hide her exposition.

He scratched his head. "Wait... which kind of 'sleep' are you talking about here? Like the kind we've already been doing, or the real deal?"

Her smiled turned seductive. "Probably both, after a while."

"Just what I wanted to hear..." he said sarcastically. "You almost done? I'm hungry."

"Yes, I'm almost done unpacking YOUR suitcase. Speaking of which, where's your underwear?"

"Huh?" he was caught off guard by that question.

She dug around in the bag some more. "Y'know, either boxer shorts or tighty-whiteys, depending on how much of a man you are."

"... No, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Wait, you don't mean... Come here..." she said, reaching her hand down his pants. He flinched, as her warm hand went to an undesirable location. "Oh my gosh..." she said, feeling around for a second then pulling her hand out quickly. "How... how do you not wear anything under jeans? Gosh that must hurt..."

"What is it supposed to hurt?" he asked, still feeling violated.

She bit her lip. "Well... you normally grow hair down there, but I didn't feel any just a sec ago..."

"Yeah never do that again, by the way."

"Shut up, you loved it, don't deny it. But seriously, how do you do that? It would drive me crazy." she said, shaking her head. "I thought we bought you some in, uh... whatever that town it was, I don't remember."

He shook his head. "Not that I know of. Does it matter?"

"Yeah it matters! You could really hurt yourself. I'm surprised you haven't already. But, um... can I stick my hand there again?"

"What? No! I'm hungry..." he said, walking out of her room and down the stairs. Mrs. Payton was waiting at the bottom, shaking her head.

**o-o**

Dinner was short and sweet. It was this cooking that Jobe did miss from being away for so long. He yawned, and reclined his seat back. The rest of the Payton family was all sitting around in the living room, except for Kenny, who was at the computer.

Suddenly Jobe remembered something. "Hey Mr. Payton, how did that explosion work out?"

He turned in his chair. "Well, half the factory was blown up, but it's all fixed and back in working order now. They still haven't caught the guy who did it, but there were no fingerprints on the remains or anything. No footsteps, car tracks... there wasn't even proof that he infiltrated the place, almost like they never even came close to the place... it's still unsolved, but as long as they don't come back, we'll never know."

"Ah... well..." He was thinking, about how that was even possible, in enter into a highly secured infrastructure like that undetect-

"Oh, crap... I know who did it."

**o-o-o**

Dr. Wellstep was close to discovering the cards source... he just needed evidence and proof.

_After scanning the bookmark with a bio-origin scanner, I have located where it came from. These are those notes: _He wrote on a notepad.

_Point of origin: Unova RegionCastelia City_

_Being: believed to be ZoRoark_

_Intention(s): believed to be so that ZoRoark could remember Darkrai's 'plan'_

He jotted down some other notes, then got up and took the notepad and bookmark with him, out the door.

**o-o-o**

"Know who did what? The explosion?" Shannon exclaimed.

Jobe nodded slowly. "I think so. It was probably Darkrai..."

"Who's Darkrai? Never heard of him... some sort of criminal nickname?" Kenny asked.

"Okay, I've got a story to tell..." Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Kayla got up to answer it. "Darkrai, this weird character," Jobe started. "Is a Pokemon that seems to be stalking me and Kayla. He was at the beach house, just popping in and out of nowhere. I think he's a type of ghost... but he's sort of solid, too. Cause I got into a fight with him at a hotel we stayed at a while ago, and he could punch pretty hard too. He can cast a shadow ball or something and it knocks you unconscious... or asleep, not sure which. He hit Kayla with one, but she woke up from it somehow. He made me unconscious after I lost to him in that fight... Kayla said you saw him in your backyard and almost shot at it, but you didn't. Dr. Wellstep, his personal lab got blown up because of Darkrai. I think yours did too, because of him. He can make himself invisible and all that stuff... he's probably here now, just watching us. Never know... when we were at the beach house, he said he was there because he wanted us to do what he wanted, but I have no idea what that was..." he said, as Kayla led a man inside the house.

Kenny jumped up, surprised that she would let in a stranger so easily like that, but he recognized him, as did Jobe.

"Dr. Wellstep? What're you doing here?" Jobe said, eagerly shaking his hand.

"I am here because-"

"Jobe, you know Wellstep? I heard you mention him in your story. He's my top scientist at Exposure, my lowest paid, and my most trusted. How do you know him?" Kenny interrupted.

Wellstep held up a hand. "I believe I can explain that."

**o-o**

For the next two hours, the Doc explained all that had happened, how he revived Jobe and gave him his powers, how his lab had gotten blown to ruins, and why he was here now.

"And after all of that, who would have known that he was married to my boss's daughter." he said, smiling.

Shannon frowned. "Uhh, no. You are as presumptuous as you are Irish. They're not close to being married yet." she said, giving the couple a look, which Kayla looked down at.

"So I see... well I just presumed that their relationship had really taken off since I had last seen them... Now Jobe, how is everything? I have to show you something in a moment."

Jobe swallowed hard. "Well, I guess it's okay... I need to tell you something later too."

"Very well. But first, do you two have any further questions? I am sure that there is much that you would like to know that I have not already said." Wellstep said, motioning to Kayla's parents.

Kenny shook his head, as did Shannon.

"Alright then... so how has the business been going? I heard news of an paroxysm?"

Mr. Payton shook his head. "No no no, it was an explosion. Somehow, somebody got inside the inner walls and detonated a bomb. We still don't know who it was, but Jobe had a good guess."

Wellstep turned to Jobe. "And what was this presumption?"

"I thought it could've been Darkrai. He's been chasing me and Kayla to 'do what he wants' and I still have no idea what that is." he said, clearing his throat.

The Doc snapped his fingers. "That is what I wanted to talk to you about. I have this card here..." he said, pulling out a piece of paperboard from his coat pocket. He handed it to Jobe. "Tell me what you think this means."

The young Shapeshifter looked at the card in complete oblivion. He had no guess as to what it could've meant.

"I haven't got a clue. Tell me." he said, handing the card back.

"I deciphered this card, and as you can see from it, to be a note from ZoRoark, reminding herself of this Darkrai's 'plan', of which I do not know of. I was not aware that a Pokemon of that nature would conceive a plan, for any reason. But supposing he did, this seems to be Roark's way of remembering it. I can suggest one thing here: you find Roark and some way or another force her to reveal the origin of this card. However you want to attempt that."

Jobe ran upstairs to Kayla's room, grabbed the Poke Ball that contained the Dark-Type, and dashed back down. "Umm... you may want to have Dante here, so he can stop her if she tries to escape." he said, watching Shannon go and bring back Dante, on a thick metal chain. He growled at Jobe. "Yeeah... okay..."

A flash of light and a PSSHH followed, releasing ZoRoark. The Pokemon shielded it's eyes, not used to the light. Dante started going off, both Kenny and Shannon were trying to hold him back. Dr. Wellstep sat there, as if nothing was happening.

Roark looked around, after her eyes were adjusted. She instantly noticed Jobe, and her temper started to flare. But before she could attack, a warm hand was placed on her shoulder, and forced her down on the ground. Wellstep squeezed on one area on her neck, and her body became limp. Roark's eyes were darting, trying to figure out what was going on.

"She is disabled, not unconscious. Do with her as you will." he said, handing the card back to Jobe.

"Roark... we need to know. What is this card?" Jobe said sternly, holding it up so she could see it. The Pokemon stared at the card, then closed its eyes.

"We need to know now! Did you write this down? What does it mean?"

Still, ZoRoark refused to answer. Dante had already torn a spot on the carpet. Jobe grabbed the ball and recalled Roark back in. He watched as a beam of light shot at Roark, then sucked her inside.

Wellstep stood up, then held out his hand. "Jobe, the card please... thank you. Now... you had something to tell me?"

"Yes, but it's sensitive information. Can we go outside?"

The two stepped out onto the front porch, and sat down on some chairs that were there. "So..." Wellstep was interrupted, as Kayla came out and sat in Jobe's lap.

He couldn't help but smile. "You seem comfortable. So Jobe, what is it?"

"Well... I can't shift anymore."

"Pardon?"

He nodded slowly. "I can't shapeshift anymore. I tried when we were away, and I can't do it anymore. Is there anything you can do to see if it went away?"

"It never went away. It is impossible. Your DNA is infused with that of the ZoRoark's, it cannot 'go away'. What may have happened, is it went into a type of remission, sort of like cancer. But I doubt that is what happened, you have not had it that long. Have you forgotten how to do it?"

Jobe shook his head. "No, I still remember, even though it's hard to explain. Can you check if it went into recommission?"

"Remission, and no, I cannot. You will just have to wait and keep trying to see if changes or not. But if you are able to do it again, make sure to do something at least once a day, to ensure it will not happen again."

Kayla smiled. "Oh don't worry, I'll make sure of that. He'll be using it everyday here pretty soon."

"I will?"

She touched his nose playfully.

"Very well... if that is all, I think I should be going..." he said, opening the front door. "Family, I am off! It was nice talking to you all, have a good evening. Jobe, Kayla: Please remember to stay away from crime and suspicious liquids." he said, before walking off into the dark.

**o-o-o**

After hanging around for a few more hours, Jobe was tired. He bade everyone goodnight, then headed upstairs. Kayla jumped up and followed him.

"What'cha doing?"

He yawned. "I'm going to bed, I'm tired. Where am I sleeping?"

She giggled. "With me, silly. Let me go change, I'll be there in a second."

"Wait..." but she was already in the bathroom.

He shrugged, and changed into his sleeping clothes. He looked over at Kayla's bed, and just noticed how small it was.

"Ready?" she said, from behind him. "Close your eyes.

He did. "Umm... yeah, but it's tiny... your bed. We can't possibly both fit on that."

She closed and locked her door. "Sure we can. You go closest to the wall there, and I'll sit right here on the edge..." she said, guiding him to his side of the bed.

After they were all bundled up and comfortable, Kayla was 2 inches away from his face.

"It's a little tight in here, don't you think?" he said, squirming.

She shook her head slowly. "Not at all..." she whispered, starting to hug him under the covers.

"Uhh..." he replied, reluctantly hugging her back.

Once Kayla was in his arms, she took it to the next level. Her lips met his, and they smooched for a solid 2 minutes. Letting her go for air, he released Kayla from his arms, turning on his opposite side.

"G'night!" he said quickly, hoping she wouldn't push him further.

"W-what? You're done?"

He nodded. "I said I was coming up here for sleep, not for a love-attack."

Kayla felt hurt by him saying that, but didn't want to show it. "Well... okay then..." she said, slowly turning on her other side, and they both fell asleep.

**o-o-o**

_It is so facetious that these humans think that they can out-maneuver me. By leaving a day earlier than planned... and not fulfilling what I want them to do. It seems I am going to have to take more drastic measures if I want this achieved by the turn of the century..._

Darkrai thought, floating over the Payton household. He could tell that the couple was just starting to fall asleep, and decided to mess with them a little bit.

He flew into the house, and into Kayla's room, where they were sleeping. Darkrai held his hands out, and cast nightmares into each of the humans.

_Kayla started to cry, as she fully realized what she had just realized. Jobe didn't love her anymore, he saw another girl and fell after her. Dropped her like she should've done to him long ago. Now she was feeling horrible, just taking in what was sure to be her future of more breakups and letdowns. But what scared her the most, was how he promised that he would stay by her side forever... he took vows, to support and love her forever... and he had already broken those vows, in record time. It made her rethink the way she had been living the past few months: she had basically thrown out all chances of the typical teenage routine of dating, by only choosing one and staying with him, longer that she should have. **Longer than he was willing to... I forced him to love me, he really didn't the whole time...**_

_Jobe was in the mode; his adrenaline pumping, muscles clenched, mind racing. His opponent was yet again ZoRoark, still trying to extract revenge for something Jobe apparently did. **Never learn, she'll never learn. **He thought, as he dodged some of Roark's quick jabs. He delivered one of his own, one that knocked Roark back 20 feet, landing in the Payton's garden in front of their house. The front door opened, and Kayla stepped out, calling for him. His eyes went wide, as he saw Roark jump up and grab Kayla, who was thrashing violently. Roark smiled evilly, then took a claw straight to her beautiful face, streaming blood everywhere. Jobe screamed, dashing up as fast as he could, but not before Roark twisted Kayla's neck, then leaping away, breaking the window and jumping inside. Jobe knelt over Kayla's limp figure, as tears ran down his face..._

Darkrai smiled, as he saw the humans fidget and squirm in their slumber. _They will regret this..._ he thought, before flying up into the attic, and taking shelter there.

**o-o-o**

Whoa...

I was feeling it by the end of this chapter. Dem dreams...

Well, I'm back. Sorry for the wait and all, but I'm back. So how was my return chapter?


	24. JD

**A/N: After nearly a year of inactivity, I am pleased to announce that I managed to scrape up enough time and creativity to put something together. And just in time for Halloween. How convenient...**

**Ages 16+. After a year of absence I feel like I have to go big or go home.**

**o-o-o**

Awaking from that sleep was not an easy thing for either of the couple. It had left both of them in a trance-like effect, even an hour after waking up. Mrs. Payton looked at them curiously, wondering exactly what could have happened to make them like this.

After breakfast, Kayla took Jobe upstairs again. She had a surprise for him...

Closing the door behind him, she gave him a grin to his questioned face.

"Don't worry, it's a fun surprise. Can't show you yet, but I wanted to keep you in suspense." she said, smiling.

Jobe's eyebrow went up. "Uhh... that's it?"

She seemed frustrated. "Well don't just toss it out like it's nothing! This will be a big deal to you, trust me. It's also only part one of a... series of surprises for you."

"How come this doesn't intrigue me like I think it should..."

"I don't know. It's not a bad surprise, for either one of us."

That didn't help Jobe very much. "Whatever... so... did you happen to have a bad dream last night? I saw you were kinda... out of it this morning."

Kayla bit her lip. "Actually... yes I did... why? You were the same way. Did you have one?"

"Mmhmm... and it was the worst one so far. Why have we been having bad dreams lately? And... now that I think about it, I can't remember what it was."

"You know what... neither can I. I just know it was horrendous..."

Jobe looked around, trying to think of something to do. Nothing caught his eye, till he saw Kayla purposefully lowering her shirt down slightly. He tried not to look, but it was hard not to. Temptation got the better of him, as she glanced up and saw him gawking.

"Hey! Eyes up here!" she said, but it didn't seem to have much meaning behind it.

He looked her straight in the eye, and she blushed. "I didn't think..." she trailed off.

Jobe tried to hold it as long as he could. It was a type of staring contest, with Kayla obviously having the advantage. She adjusted her shirt again and Jobe cracked, getting as much of an eyeful as he could, then regretting it.

"If you want to look so bad why don't I just take it off..." she said with a tease. Strange enough, Jobe didn't object as he normally would. She hesitated, then slowly pulled up her shirt, revealing a black, slightly lacy bra with a good pushup effect.

Jobe's mouth opened slightly, and he didn't blink for a solid minute. Shaking his head, he closed his eyes, and then regretted ever looking.

"Sorry! I was just... I don't know... you can put your shirt back on now..."

She didn't though. "What the heck happened to you? You've never done that before..." she said, almost wishing he hadn't stopped.

"I think I had another vision... it was very strange though. Nothing like the others."

"Oh yeah, I'd say you had a vision all right. A full 32DD vision..." she said with a smile.

"A what?"

She smiled again, remembering he knew nothing of such things. "Oh... well that's how girls boobs are measured. Mine are 32DD's..."

He just stared at her with a blank expression, what she just said seemingly went in one way and out the other. "I don't know if I should or should not have heard that. I'll pretend I didn't."

"What the heck? You were just about to ask me to strip for you, then now you're all... Jobish again." she said, getting frustrated.

"'Jobish'? What's that supposed to mean?!"

She bit her lip, knowing this could get bad. "I just meant that I've never seen you act so... willing before. You're always stubborn about this kind of stuff. For what, I have no idea, makes no sense to me. I guess... maybe I just thought I was having some progress with you on that... guess not..."

Jobe was seething with rage and yet deep regret was in his system at the same time. It sounded like to him he was merely being used, although he knew better. It also seemed like he was doing something she liked, for however rare or often that was.

"Well..." He was at a loss for words, however.

She smiled, glad he didn't seem too angry. "So I'll ask you this now. Do you want me to continue or no?"

Jobe seriously contemplated his own mental scarring versus finally... finally, yes FINALLY... giving into her sexual demands.

"You... do what you want." he said quietly, still not sure which way was better.

Kayla was a bit surprised again by his answer. "One step at a time..." she said slowly. "But not this time." Grabbing an even smaller shirt from her drawer, she put it on, letting even more show than before. Definitely wasn't going to let him go that easy.

Jobe breathed a sigh of relief. He did allow himself to take a glance down every now and then, however. She noted this and smiled.

Suddenly, there was a ring at the front door. No one answered it for a minute, so the two went downstairs to see who it was.

Much to their surprise, it was Dr. Wellstep. It was an unexpected visit, so they had no idea why he was here.

"Jobe... I am not entirely sure how this will make you feel. You may want to sit down, this happens to be tremendous news." he paused, as Jobe did so. Dr. Wellstep took a deep breath.

"Jobe, I've found your parents."

**o-o-o**

**Short chapter, really only focused on one or two parts, but I think it's a good one. **

**Don't have an idea for the next. Could be tomorrow... could be next year. Ok no, actually it can't be next year...**


	25. Hanging

**A/N: Sorry if you felt that chapter moved a little fast. I felt it did, don't know about you.**

**Age: Does it really matter? Pretty much the same base age for all future chapters. In fact I should probably just change this to a rated M, that way I don't have to feel restricted. Yes... I think I'll do that.**

**o-o-o**

"My... parents?" Jobe was flabbergasted. Kayla was no less surprised.

Wellstep, however, expected this. "Yes... I have located your biological parents, Jobe. And... I now know your real name. And where you came from. And how and why you died."

Everything that Jobe knew about himself up to this point, could now very well be wrong. His parents were still alive, possibly looking for him, his name _might _not actually be Jobe, and whoever committed the act that screwed everything up in the first place.

"So how did... why... what for?"

Wellstep smiled. "To make a rather extensive story abridged, I did a reverse biochemical examination of your blood before you had the transfusion with the Zoroark. I did not think I would be successful, and yet luck shined upon me. There was a police record for your father, apparently he had been arrested a few years ago, on a DUI charge. But I digress, as I also managed to locate where they live, or lived. It was not far from this current establishment. However they moved, shortly after you died, to Johto, a land a fathomable distance away from the ground we stand on today. Now while that may not necessarily be good news, I do know their exact location of residence, down to house number. So if you wish you may contact them, and I'm sure they would be ecstatic to see you again.

"However... not all is good. As I said, I now know exactly how you died and I think I know why. Jobe... you have a twin brother. I do know his name, but I will refrain from using it as he is passed anyway. Part of my theory, is that you were driving the car that had gotten on top of you when I found you, and your brother... mischievously tricked you into doing some odd trick to impress a lady, no doubt. He was also riding beside you at the time, when it went horribly wrong. The other half to my theory, is somewhat less rooted in evidence... I am not certain as to how the car landed on top of you, where your... brother's body went, nor do I know how your funeral went, considering it didn't seem either one of your bodies was at the accident scene. That... is my theory."

As speechless as Jobe was before, he was even more so now. Part of Dr. Wellstep's idea didn't quite fit, though.

"I have a brother? Of that there is no doubt? At all?" he questioned.

Wellstep shook his head. "Had one. No doubt."

"What's my last name?"

"I would much rather leave your parents to reveal that to you. As well with your brother's name." he said sternly.

"Just... some of what you said didn't really make sense to me. I would be like... 16 there, right? Driving? What time of day did you find me?" Jobe asked, finding this hard to believe.

"It was around dinnertime, or 5:37 PM. And no, you would be closer to 18. Being frozen for 3 years may or may not decrease your lifespan. Research is still not conclusive upon that fact, as you were the only human being to be revived from cryogenic glaciation as you were." he said, clearing his throat.

Jobe thought for a second. "So... what now? What good does this do me?"

Wellstep smiled. "Well if I were in your position, I would want to contact my parents and see about meeting up. I have not communicated with them in any way yet, so they do not know you are alive and well. I am sure that will be most surprising to them, to hear from you after 3 years."

"Two more things... if you say my brother's body wasn't at the accident scene, where is it? And second, how old are they? Do I have other siblings?"

"That would be three questions... I merely suggested it was not at the scene, I am not certain. I shall research the case and return with an answer next I see you. Ah, I do not recall their ages at the time, but logic would assume, as you do not have any younger or older siblings, that they would be around 40-45. And Jobe, I apologize, I must leave at this time, I have an important engagement I must attend. I shall call upon you if I receive any further cognizance on this matter. Good day to you both." Wellstep said, leaving their porch and their yard, and disappearing along the roadside.

During this whole time, Kayla was speechless as well, but she had a few questions of her own on her mind. Why wouldn't Dr. Wellstep have done this research before Jobe was even frozen? However, not wanting to damper on Jobe's news, she decided to ignore it for now, and ask later.

"So Jobe... what do you think?" she asked him, after the color returned to his cheeks.

"Isn't your beach house in Johto?"

She thought for a second. "Yes... as a matter of fact, it is. I think I know what you're thinking..."

"And we were gonna go there anyways..."

"And the master bedroom is still set up..." she said, wondering if he was in _that _good of a mood.

Jobe paused. "When will your parents be home?"

"Well I'm not even sure if they are home or not. No one answered the door, don't know if mom left for something and took the little kids with her. Why?" she asked, wondering which way he was taking this conversation.

"Because... I want to know when we can leave..." he said, biting his lip.

She took note, but pretended not to notice. "Is something bothering you?"

He didn't say anything for a moment, then said, "No... not particularly. Well... maybe, I guess there is one thing I'm worried about... What if I meet them... and they don't like you? I mean, your family? What then?"

"Oh come on... don't start getting negative. They'll be so glad to see you back, they probably wouldn't care. Not to mention... how well off you've been living here, I think they'd be very thankful. You prolly should've asked how they're doing... guess we'll just have to figure it out."

That made him feel a bit better, but he still had his doubts. "Hmm... ok then..."

"Is there... something else?" she asked, slowly walking back up the stairs.

Her moving woke his mind up from the deep thoughts he was indulged in. Kayla was giving him a begging look, and he knew exactly what she was wanting. _Darn it... she knows when to strike at the right times... _"Uhmm... no, I think that's it for now..."

Her expression changed quickly, now becoming disappointed. "Oh... well if there is, let me know. I'm gonna go... walk outside." she said, exiting out the back door.

She wasn't out for long at all, before she came back in. Jobe wasn't in the living room where he was 5 minutes ago. "Jobe?" she yelled out, but got no response. She dashed upstairs, and found him sitting up in her bed, with a pen and paper pad in his hands.

"Oh, hey. I was looking for you. What'cha doing?" she asked, sitting down next to him, after closing the door some.

"I was... writing some notes..." he said, flipping the pad over and setting it on the floor.

"Can I see?" she said, trying to grab it. He blocked her from getting it.

"Well... wouldn't you rather be doing... something else?" he asked awkwardly.

Kayla stopped, puzzled by his sudden turn in attitude. "Ummm... maybe, but didn't you just try to dodge me..." she said cautiously.

He tried to put on a fake smile. "No it's ok... I just don't know what to do." he said, chuckling a little.

"Right... ok..." she said, not knowing what to do next. "Umm..."

An awkward silence soon ensued, with neither party doing anything to 'make a move' on each other. Finally Kayla got an idea.

"Jobe, I'm gonna show you how this works. And explain it as easy as I can. Make a fist... okay, now loosen it up a bit. That fist, is me. Now take your other hand's index finger... that's you. Now put your finger right here... and push it inside your fist there..." she said, guiding him through the process.

It took Jobe a few minutes, and with a little more help from Kayla, it clicked. He made a disgusted face, at which Kayla giggled.

"Trust me, it is WAY better than it looks here... so, now do you have a general idea of what goes on?" she asked, wondering and hoping it might influence him a little more.

He bit his lip. "You could say that... How you say it is better, doesn't make much sense to me. It sounds gross."

"If you get into technical stuff, yes, it is gross. But, only thing I can say, is you won't know till you try it."

"I... have to admit... you're getting me closer and closer..." he said, seeming to continue, but he stopped.

A short while after this, Kayla's mother got home, with the other two kids in tow. She got inside, and noticed the two teenagers looking rather contradictory; Kayla seemed ecstatic, but Jobe was in more of a somber mood. A few minutes of Kayla telling her what had just happened, and she knew why.

"You should have no reason to be mulling over that. Your parents are going to be so glad to see you back again, they probably would be fine if you had slept in the streets. Which, you almost did." she said, putting a few groceries away.

"Mrs. Payton... he said they live in Johto... which is also where your beach house is. And you had said a few days ago that your husband got off work, so we could go back. When would we be leaving?" Jobe asked.

She checked the calendar. "Well you tell me something first... would you rather us pay to have them come here for a week or two instead?"

"Oh no, I wouldn't want you to do that. They still don't know I'm alive, remember. No, I'd rather go see them in person. It might make them want to move back here again."

"Then... we can leave in two days. And Jobe, come here for a second. Kayla stay there..." she said, taking him out to the back porch. "Yesterday was Kayla's birthday... and while she might not have thought much of it, we did remember. We were going to plan a surprise with a bunch of her old friends from school at the beach house, but I wanted to get your idea on it first. Especially with your own parents, if... if we can put that aside a few days after we get there, I would appreciate it."

"Umm... I guess that's fine... I mean, I still have to get in touch with them and all."

She smiled, and went back into the kitchen. "Oh... and don't say anything, it's a surprise."

**o-o**

After dinner was over, Kayla wanted to go out and get something from the store. She wouldn't let Jobe come, however.

He checked the clock, she had been gone about a two hours. He didn't like being left alone very long with her parents, it was always awkward for him.

When Kayla got back, she wouldn't tell him where she had gone, or what for. Just that it was a 'surprise'.

_Why is every damn thing with her a surprise?!_ Jobe thought to himself, as they were walking up the stairs to go to bed. It didn't hit him till she closed and locked the door what Kayla always means by 'surprise'.

**o-o**

Needless to say, Jobe did everything in his power to avoid her sexual desires, and in a way, he was successful. However she wouldn't take no for an answer, and tried to make him promise that the deed would be done when they went to Johto. And make him promise the real way this time.

"I'll love you more for it if you do..." she pleaded.

"Kayla... this is not the place. Not the time, it's just wrong." he said in defense.

"Then where is the place and time? How about when we're at the beach house? I assure you, if there is any place, it's there. And I'm sure there will be sometime when we can sneak away from the family and do it." she offered.

He thought for a second, hating how she would always pit him in these unavoidable situations. "I... still don't like it."

"Oh, screw this." she said, pulling her shirt off.

**o-o-o**

**Ha. Hahahaha. Haha. Ha.**

**Ha.**

**Cliffhangers. They influence me to write these chapters.**


End file.
